She studied medicine at the University of Bristol and later specialized in high altitude medicine. At age 25 she climbed Denali, the highest summit in North America. It was the first of her series of climbs of the highest peaks on all seven continents, which included Mount Everest on October 7 1993 as the second British woman after Rebecca Stephens. The series was completed in 1995.

Her greatest feat was climbing the Kangchenjunga by its north face on 18 May 1998.

She was married to Gary Pfisterer, whom she met on her expedition to Mount Everest.