In loving memory: Gody Bekker

On Monday 28 July, our mother, mother-in-law and co-founder of Edward Bekker Ski & Alpinisme (later Bekker Mountain Travel) passed away at the age of 91. From the founding of our company in 1987 until her retirement at the age of 80 in 2014, she tirelessly organised expeditions, sold trips and promoted our organisation. Over the years, she helped thousands of people realise their mountaineering dreams.

As a family and as an organisation, we are naturally saddened by her passing, but above all grateful for everything she has done for us and for the (Dutch) mountaineering world over the years. In the 1970s, after reading an article in a local newspaper, she introduced teenager Edward to the “Vallekebergse Alpen Vrung”, a club of mountaineers, skiers and cross-country skiers who organised expeditions, skiing and bivouac trips at home and abroad. This is how Edward came into contact with mountaineering. And when Edward decided to make climbing and skiing his profession, she encouraged him to do it properly and get a real diploma. Edward eventually became the first Dutchman and one of the first people from a non-Alpine country to become an internationally certified IFMGA- Mountain and Ski Guide.

By then, Edward had already completed expeditions to Peru and Everest, and Gody was hooked on everything to do with high-altitude expeditions. Like a second Elizabeth Hawley, Gody recorded and commented on every Dutch attempt on every mountain of significance. At that time, Dutch climbers and expedition leaders always knew where to find her for tips on routes, travel and logistics. She was also a source of information for journalists on everything related to mountaineering.

Gody's thirst for adventure started early. In her early twenties, she worked at the Northern Europe Institute, a Rotterdam-based organisation that promoted trade between the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries. Her job involved travelling to Norway and Sweden for trade fairs, which she enjoyed so much that she decided to live in Norway and Sweden for a while. During her stay, she learned to write and translate Norwegian and Swedish and was forced to learn to ski, as one of the hotels where she worked was only accessible on skis in winter. Years later, Edward learned to ski on those same wooden skis, on the hill behind their house in Klimmen in the Netherlands. Her honeymoon in the late 1950s took her to the far north, travelling by train from Kiruna to Riksgränsen and Narvik... Inspired by her experiences, Edward began offering ski touring trips to that area in the 1990s. Nowadays, almost the whole world goes skiing there in the spring, but back then we were just about the first people outside Scandinavia to discover the area as a fantastic terrain for ski touring.

Gody lived independently in her house on the hill until a ripe old age, enjoying her beautiful garden and the outdoor life, until she became dependent on care after a severe bout of flu in the winter of 2023-2024 and ended up in a nursing home. Although she was lovingly surrounded by her family, medical staff, fellow residents and staff at Ave Maria in Geulle, she slowly became lonely in her increasingly frail body. Eventually, she felt that her life was complete. Grateful for a long, beautiful and adventurous life, she passed away peacefully in the presence of her loved ones.