Lea Geibel

Glaciologist, Appointee Social Media

Pronouns: she/her/hers

I've always been fascinated by science, and I knew from an early age that I wanted to become a scientist and study Physics.

Alongside that, I always dreamt of being able to explore the mountains for myself one day. But growing up without any access to them often made that dream feel out of reach.

For my Master's degree in Geophysics I got the opportunity to study at ETH Zürich in Switzerland which also gave me more access to the mountains. There I started researching in the field of Glaciology where I continued to work for two years after my degree, modelling the historical and future evolution of Swiss glaciers.

Over the years I have also developed a passion for long-distance hiking. I have hiked over 14.000 km on different routes around the world, a lot of them as solo hikes. I've walked from Mexico to Canada, crossed the Caucasus Mountains, hiked through Patagonia and through many corners of Europe. Some of the routes I was the first person or first women to walk them, which made me very aware of the possibilities but also of the limitations women in the outdoors are still experiencing today.

During this journey of learning to gain access to the mountains, I always felt like I lacked role models, especially female, that came from a similar background.

In 2021 I worked as an instructor for IGE and had an amazing time interacting with these young women, encourage them to pursue their dreams and see their skills and personalities really flourish through the project. Today I am helping with the social media outreach.

Girls* on Ice Switzerland Appointee Social Media, 2023 - present

Girls* on Ice Schweiz Instructor, 2021