climbed some of the highest mountains in the world and completed the Great Himalaya Trail through Nepal. In the early years she was a participant in commercial (guided) teams, a good learning opportunity to undertake independent expeditions later. Katja was the first Dutch woman to reach the top of Mount Everest (8848 m), and with Henk Wesselius she had the Dutch first on Gasherbrum 1 (8068 m) and the fore summit of Manaslu (8130 m).