Jeannette Friederike Hermine Immink (née Diest; 10 October 1853 – 20 August 1929) was a Dutch mountaineer. She climbed extensively in the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( ), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Va ...

with several

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

s and is credited as a pioneer in the field of women's climbing.

Early life

Jeanne Immink was born into a German-Jewish family in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

in 1853, the eldest daughter of Friedrich "Frederik" Diest and Hermina Heijbroek. After her father died, Immink's mother and three sisters suffered financially; to escape her poverty Jeanne married Johannes Carolus "Karel" Immink after finishing high school, with whom she migrated to

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

, South Africa. They had one son together before Jeanne began an affair with Henry Percy Douglas-Willan, a British dragoon captain stationed in Pretoria, and followed him to India, leaving her husband and son in South Africa. When Immink fell pregnant again, she relocated to Switzerland since British officers were not permitted to marry or have children before the age of 30. In Switzerland, she became financially independent as she received significant funds from Douglas-Willan to support their son, Louis Immink.

Career

Immink began climbing in the

shortly after moving to Switzerland. She made her first major climb in 1889 as she ascended a new route on the

Ortler Ortler (; ) is, at above sea level, the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps outside the Bernina Range. It is the main peak of the Ortler Range. It is the highest point of the Southern Limestone Alps, of South Tyrol in Italy, of Tyrol overall ...

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

with a guide. The same year, she made the first female ascent of the Antelao. In 1891 she ascended the Schmitt Chimney of Fünffingerspitze in the

Langkofel Group The Langkofel Group (, ) is a massif in the (western) Dolomites of the Italian Alps. It separates Gröden (to the north) and the Fassa valley (to the south), as well as the Sella massif (to the east) and the Rosengarten (to the west). Northwe ...

, a year after Robert-Hans Schmitt made the first ascent and expressed doubt that the route would ever be climbed again. She climbed an as-yet unnamed and unclimbed mountain in the Dolomites in 1891 which has since been named the Cima Immink. In 1893, German climber and photographer Theodor Wundt asked Immink if she would accompany him on an ascent of the Kleine Zinne (Cima Piccola) of the

Tre Cime di Lavaredo The ; ), also called the ; ), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks, from east to west, are: *Cima Piccola / Klein ...

; his photographs of her were later published in his book ''Wanderungen in den Ampezzaner Dolomiten''. This would be her final expedition before she retired from climbing in 1894, having sustained an injury from a previous trip. Although her climbing career spanned only five years, Immink made over 70 climbs and earned a reputation for choosing the most difficult peaks and routes of the time and attracting the respect of her male peers. She was well aware of her role as a leading woman climber, and wrote after one climb: "I challenge the male mountaineers to follow in my steps." She was a member of the

Austrian Alpine Club The Austrian Alpine Club () has about 700,000 members in 194 sections and is the largest mountaineering organisation in Austria. It is responsible for the upkeep of over 234 alpine huts in Austria and neighbouring countries. It also maintains ove ...

and the

Club Alpino Italiano The Club Alpino Italiano is the senior Italian alpine club which stages climbing competitions, operates alpine huts, marks and maintains paths, and is active in protecting the Alpine environment. It was founded in Turin in 1863 by the then fin ...

Legacy

Immink was the subject of a biography published by journalist Harry Muré in 2003, titled ''Jeanne Immink: Die Frau, die in die Wolken stieg'' ("Jeanne Immink: The Woman Who Climbs in the Clouds"). Muré wrote that Immink noted her pioneering role in women's alpinism, writing that she "achieved glory and honor in the male-dominated field of Alpine mountaineering". She was the first female climber to wear pants rather than a skirt, and is credited with the invention of the

climbing harness A climbing harness is a piece of equipment that allows a climber to tie in (climbing), tie in to the safety of a rope. It is used in climbing, rock and ice climbing, ice climbing, abseiling, and lowering; this is in contrast to other activities r ...

Two peaks are named after Immink: the Cima Immink and Campanile Giovanna ("Jeanne's Tower"), which stand next to each other in the Dolomites.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Immink, Jeanne 1853 births 1929 deaths Dutch mountain climbers Dutch people of German-Jewish descent Dutch female climbers Sportspeople from Amsterdam Dutch sportswomen