Le Blond, Elizabeth (1861–1934)

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Le Blond, Elizabeth (1861–1934)

English mountaineer who was one of the first women to climb without a guide. Name variations: Mrs. Main; Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond. Born Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed in 1861; died in 1934; grew up in Ireland; married Fred Burnaby (a soldier who died in 1882); married a man named Main (died); married Aubrey Le Blond.

Widowed at 21, Elizabeth Le Blond began mountain climbing for consolation and made some notable first ascents in Chamonix and in the Engadine. She was also the first president of the Ladies' Alpine Club in 1907 and was elected for a second term in 1932. In 1900, she and Lady Evelyn McDonnell dispensed with the services of guides and climbed Piz Palu, a feat, said mountaineer Dorothy Pilley , that was "hushed up and regarded as somewhat improper."