Susanna Pfisterer was born in Jasper, Alberta. After graduating from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary, she travelled the world with the International Red Cross, working in Romania, Kenya, Rwanda, Puerto Rico and Kosovo on various humanitarian projects. Pfisterer returned to Jasper in 2004 to raise her family. She shares her late father's love of outdoor activities of all kinds, enjoying hiking, mountain climbing, swimming, canoeing, and skiing. Fifty Percent of Mountaineering is Uphill is her first book.