When Elise Wortley first read about the explorer Alexandra David-Néel as a teenager, something struck a chord. David-Néel was a French adventurer, writer and spiritualist who in 1924 became the first Western woman to enter the forbidden city of Lhasa in Tibet — a feat of courage and determination that went largely uncelebrated compared with her male contemporaries.
“I just couldn’t believe I’d never heard of her or been taught about her at school,” Elise recalls. “I found her story so inspiring, and began to realise that still today the world of adventure is male dominated, and there were so many women’s stories missing from history.”
That realisation became Woman with Altitude: Elise’s project to retrace the journeys of forgotten female adventurers and bring their stories back into view. “I wanted to start a project to inspire others, show women have always been in this space and to tackle representation issues,” she says.
Over the past nine years Elise has researched more than 150 overlooked women adventurers, and has so far retraced the journeys of six. Most recently she attempted Henriette d’Angeville’s 1838 climb of Mont Blanc. To make the experience as authentic as possible, she wore period mountaineering kit and a pair of hobnail boots made to her specification by Tricker’s master shoemaker, Adele Williamson.
Following in Their Footsteps
Elise’s approach is simple and uncompromising. Rather than reinterpret the past with modern equipment, she chooses to live it.
“I always had the idea to follow in Alexandra’s footsteps in some way, to highlight her story and to try and understand what she went through. After a difficult time with my mental health in my 20s, I finally set off following in her footsteps when I felt able to manage a bigger trip,” she explains. “That was nearly nine years ago, and since then the project has grown into something amazing.”
Wearing the clothing and equipment of the time is not a gimmick. For Elise it is a means to understand the physical and psychological realities these women faced: how heavy the fabrics were, how restrictive skirts could be, and how those constraints shaped decisions on the mountain.
“One aim of the journey was to learn more about how these women felt on their journeys, something they often hide in their writing as they were battling to be taken as seriously as the men,” she adds. “I realised I would never truly understand how they felt in modern gear, so that’s how I started wearing the period accurate kit.”
Erased From the History Books
Some of the women Elise follows are relatively well known, such as explorers like David-Néel or archaeologist Freya Stark, who published widely in her lifetime. Others, however, remain in the shadows. Elise points to climber Dorothy Pilley, who tackled some of the most technical routes in Europe in the early 1900s but is far from a household name.
“Often you have to go old-school and sift through books or rely on accounts from others to find out about the truly unknown women,” Elise explains. “I’m sure there are so many we will just never know about.”
That search — the archival work, the conversations, the patient assembling of fragments — is as much a part of the project as the adventure itself.
Retracing Mont Blanc
Elise’s attempt to follow Henriette d’Angeville’s route up Mont Blanc tested her in ways she hadn’t expected.
“The most challenging aspect was the weather, and the issue wasn't the cold! There was a heatwave in Chamonix, and I had replicated Henriette’s outfit exactly how it was when she climbed the mountain. It was a lot colder nearly 200 years ago, and I was SO hot in the heavy wool. I don’t think I’ve ever been that hot before, so I had no idea how much it would affect me physically. Every step was so much harder, it was a mental battle the whole way, also having to ration the water as there was only so much I could carry.”
Wearing period kit changed the way she experienced the mountain. “I started out wearing it to understand more about these women’s journeys and how they were truly feeling, and it connected me to the past in that way — I can now understand just what they were facing climbing in heavy skirts and bonnets, and how technically difficult this can be to navigate. But interestingly it mostly now connects me to the present — I’m more aware of the elements and my surroundings, and I find it helps to connect me to nature, with no barriers I feel all the elements like the wind and rain.”
High on Mont Blanc, Elise stood out among climbers in modern gear. “The old gear attracts a lot of attention, especially when you’re 4000m high at the summit of a mountain! It’s always positive though, people are incredibly supportive and always smiling at me. I think people were quite surprised I’d managed to walk the whole way to the summit in it — there was so much technical gear up there, people I passed were a bit speechless when they saw a woman in a large bonnet and woollen dress heading their way!”
The Tricker’s Connection
For Mont Blanc, Elise worked with Tricker’s master shoemaker Adele Williamson, who created a pair of bespoke, Northampton-made Lucia Super boots to 19th-century specifications.
“Working with Adele was fascinating. I had no idea how much expertise and time goes into making shoes like these and it really opened my eyes. I was captivated by Adele’s story, and how she’s also making waves in a male dominated industry. The artistic craft and skill that goes into her shoes is something that must take decades to master, and I was completely blown away by her. I feel incredibly lucky to have a pair of Tricker’s shoes made by her!”
The boots surprised her in use. “I always knew the hobnails would be slippery on ice and snow, but I was really surprised how well they gripped rock while I was climbing. We had to add an extra few layers of leather onto the bottom so the hobnails didn’t poke through to my feet, so the boots were heavier than they would usually be, but the leather was so soft and malleable that it didn’t matter too much. I was really impressed by how comfortable they were, and I managed to climb the entire way in them, from the centre of Chamonix to the summit of Mont Blanc.”
Having boots that fit properly made a practical difference too. “On previous trips I’ve had serious issues with shoes, once to the point where I had to walk barefoot for two days. It meant that I had one less thing to worry about and I could experience the mountain and my surroundings more.”
Elise also appreciated the historical link. “Henriette d’Angeville summited Mont Blanc in 1838, and I loved the idea that Tricker’s were around even then, making shoes at the same time she was climbing. I was so appreciative that Trickers took the time to support this project, it’s an honour to have a brand with so much legacy in this space involved.”
Adventure as Empowerment
Asked what she hopes other women take from her expeditions, Elise is clear: “I hope that women can start to challenge assumptions about who belongs in the outdoors. There’s a saying, ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it,’ and the historical absence of adventurous women in education and the media has discouraged participation, having a knock-on effect today.”
She is equally keen to broaden what adventure means. “It doesn’t always have to be about conquering or winning, as it has so often been portrayed, but can be about connection to people and the natural world. Adventure really can be a form of empowerment that can start with small actions, like a simple walk through the park.”
There are still barriers, she says — limited access, lack of representation and confidence — and she hopes her project will chip away at those obstacles. “I hope I can help to address this in some small way.”
Keep Exploring
You can follow Elise’s journeys at @woman_with_altitude and read more about her expeditions at womanwithaltitude.com.
Explore Tricker’s Northampton-made Women’s Country Boots Collection and discover footwear made with the same durability and craft that has carried adventurers through generations.
Photography Credit: Grace T.S.P
