Gaby Dijkstra – Outdoor Enthusiast and PhD Researcher Studying the Role of Gender in the Extreme Mountaineering Industry.
- 18 hours ago
- 4 min read
Gaby Dijkstra is an outdoor enthusiast, solo traveller, and researcher with a passion for remote mountain environments. Whether climbing, skiing, or paragliding, she feels most at home in the mountains and has travelled to all seven continents, breaking barriers as a solo female adventurer.
After years of working in education and girl empowerment projects, Gaby became increasingly curious about the construct of gender and how societal expectations shape our behaviours, opportunities, and experiences. This curiosity ultimately led her to pursue a PhD at Rotterdam School of Management, designing her own research project to investigate the role of gender in extreme environments.
In 2024, Gaby spent 191 days in the Himalayas, including 132 days living on the mountains, conducting fieldwork during a full climbing season in Nepal. Her research explored the role of gender in the extreme mountaineering industry, particularly among the people who work and operate in these challenging environments.
Along the way, she joined a commercial expedition to climb Ama Dablam, visited the Khumbu Icefall and the Manaslu region, and was invited to take part in an exclusive winter expedition to Annapurna I. Through interviews, observations, and lived experience, Gaby gathered what she describes as "a mountain of data" on how gender norms continue to shape the culture of mountaineering.
In this episode, Gaby shares what she learned from her time in the Himalayas, why the traditional heroic narrative of mountaineering can be harmful to both men and women, and how understanding gender as a social construct can help us rethink leadership, decision-making, and belonging in extreme environments.
Listen to this episode to learn about conducting a PhD in one of the world's most challenging landscapes, the hidden gender dynamics within the mountaineering industry, and why talking to other women and pursuing your curiosities can open doors to entirely new adventures.
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Show notes
Living in Amsterdam, Netherlands
37, freelancer and researcher
Having a background in sports management
Using sports to help society tackle challenges
Designing her own study project - the role of gender in extreme environments
Gender as a social construct
How social constructs can limit us in who we are and how we behave
What is appropriate behaviour for societies gender expectations
Study something that is interesting for you
Looking at gender and not understanding the construct
Loving all types of outdoor sports.
Being most happy when in the mountains
Where are all the women - always being surrounded by men
Starting to work in leadership project. Girl empowerment projects.
Introducing girls to sports
Getting frustrated and wanting to learn more about the construct of gender
Wanting to know how this plays out in extreme environments
If there are no obstacles - where would you like to go for your PhD?
Wanting to go back to the Himalayas
191 days in the field, spending 132 days on a mountain
Conducting fieldwork in the mountains of Nepal for a full climbing season
Looking at the role of gender in the climbing industry - especially for people working in the mountains
Studying only from the Nepal side
Taking part in a commercial climbing expedition - climbing Ama Dablam (6,812 metres (22,349 ft))
Doing a participant observation study - What it means to be a client in the industry
Being invited to join an exclusive winter expedition - visiting Annapurna I
Visiting the Manaslu Region
Vistiting Mt. Everest and the Khumbu icefalls
Speaking with women climbing and working
The lessons and learning from the research - having “a mountain of data!”
Her PnD based on three articles
The first article based on doing a discourse analysis based on 100 years of expedition reports - looking at gender norms and how they can be identified
The 2nd and 3rd articles based on her experience
Looking at the theory of sense making, decision making
Not looking at the different between men and women
The heroic sense of mountaineering - the summit above all else….
The traditional norms and how it can harm both men and women
Women being extra tough on other women
How to connect with Gaby to find out more about her work
Wanting to be outside rather than on social media
Words of advice for other women who want to purse their interests
Talk to other women
Social Media
Website: www.sportsleadership.nl
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gabydijkstra
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