Using feminist cultural studies as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of the Singapore Women's Everest Team (SWET) regarding (a) social and cultural factors that influenced their experiences in a male-dominated sport of mountaineering, and (b) the barriers and challenges they had to overcome in the pursuit of athletic goals.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the six elite female mountaineers and the collected data were analyzed inductively. The findings from this study resulted in several points of discussions. First, it was found that mountaineering is still primarily influenced by male climbers in Singapore. Second, social, cultural and financial barriers emerged as major challenges in the women's pursuit of this sport at an elite level. Third, sexism in the form of trivialization, objectification as well as stereotypical images around female mountaineers exists in this sport. Finally, female athletes can be empowered through women-only spaces.