grimpeuse

Grimpeuse is the feminine form of the French noun grimpeur, used to designate a person who climbs, particularly in rock climbing, sport climbing, and mountaineering. The term comes from the verb grimper (to climb) with the feminine suffix -euse; gender is marked, so grimpeuse refers to a woman climber, while grimpeur refers to a man climber. The plural is grimpeuses, with grimpeurs for men.

In practice, grimpeuse covers a wide range of climbers: recreational climbers who visit gyms or crags, competitors in climbing events, and professional guides or coaches. The word is common in French-language media, climbing literature, and coaching contexts, and it can be used to describe someone’s role, e.g., grimpeuse compétitrice or grimpeuse professionnelle.

Culturally, grimpeuse sits within a broader pattern of gendered occupational terms in French. Some communities advocate gender-neutral language or alternative phrasing to emphasize the activity rather than the gender, but grimpeuse remains the standard term for a female climber in contemporary French.