Ginette Harrison was a professional
climberClimbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
of
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
origin. She also lived in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
She studied medicine at the
University of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
and later specialized in high altitude medicine. At age 25 she climbed
DenaliMount McKinley or Denali in Alaska, United States is the highest mountain peak in North America and the United States, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.- Geology and features :Mount McKinley is a granitic pluton...
, the highest mountain in North America. It was the first of her series of climbs of the highest peaks on all seven continents, which included
Mount EverestMount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
on 7 October 1993, making her only the second British woman to climb Everest, after
Rebecca StephensRebecca Stephens MBE is a British journalist, mountaineer, and television presenter. She was the first British woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest....
.
On 1 December 1995 she became the third woman, and the first British woman, to climb all 7 continental summits inclusive of Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in mainland Australia. On the same date she also became the fifth woman, and the second British woman (behind Rebecca Stephens), to climb all 7 continental summits inclusive of the Carstensz Pyramid in Australasia.
On 18 May 1998, she climbed the
KangchenjungaKangchenjunga is the third highest mountain of the world with an elevation of and located along the India-Nepal border in the Himalayas.Kangchenjunga is also the name of the section of the Himalayas and means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over...
by its north face, making her the first woman who has reached the summit of the world's third highest mountain. She later became the first British woman to summit
MakaluMakalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world at and is located southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China...
on 22 May 1999.
She was married to Gary Pfisterer, whom she met on her expedition to Mount Everest.
She died under an avalanche when climbing
DhaulagiriDhaulagiri is Earth's seventh highest mountain at ; one of fourteen over eight thousand metres. Dhaulagiri was first climbed May 13, 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian expedition....
, the seventh highest mountain in the world.
A memorial lecture is held in Ginette's memory each year, part of the
Wilderness Lectures series. The event raises money for the
Charity, of which Ginette was an enthusiastic supporter, and which sponsors a school in Nepal, named in her honour.