British Adventurer Aims To Summit Mont Blanc, France, in 1830s Gear

Lise Wortley, British Adventurer aims to climb Mont Blanc, France, in 1830s gear. Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe at 15,766 feet, has been summited numerous times. But the first woman to reach the top, at least under her own power, was in 1838. Her name was Henriette d’Angeville and she was 43 years old at the time of her climb, which she organized and financed herself.

As a descendant of an aristocratic family in France, d’Angeville had the opportunity to avail herself of leisure time and was known to be an avid hiker. Technically Marie Paradis was the first woman to reach the top of the famous mountain in 1809, however, as she acknowledged herself, she was in fact dragged semi-conscious to the top by a group of local guides. D’Angeville and her climbing partner Joseph-Marie Couttet reached the summit at 1:15 pm on September the 4, 1838, where they released doves, and drank champagne to celebrate. A completely different era to today, and this was also reflected in the equipment.

Hobnail boots were the norm, with hemp ropes for safety, and woolen clothing for warmth. The few women that did climb, did so in long skirts, impractical shoes, and quite often bonnets. Their exploits were frowned upon or admired, depending on your views, but ultimately took a back seat to the men in publications of the time, and historical record. Lise Wortley intends to bring back some awareness of these forgotten women. She will recreate d’Angeville’s climb in the same fashion, using the tools and clothing available in the 1830s. A passionate advocate for forgotten female adventurers, she has already completed a trek to Iran’s Valley of the Assassins, following in the footsteps and 1930s Burberry trenchcoat of Freya Stark.

This time she is creating her outfit herself with the aid of Morley College in South London, UK, and taking an all female team with her. Their aim is to summit during the summer of 2024. Snowbrains reached out to Lise Wortley last week, and she kindly answered a few questions in between adventures.

Why Henriette d’Angeville? What is it about her story that inspired you?

“Henriette was the first woman to climb Mont Blanc unaided, which in itself is pretty incredible, but her story is so interesting as so many people told her she wouldn’t be able to do it, and that it was no place for a woman. It was her will and determination that really captured my imagination, and her ability to ignore all those who told her it wasn’t possible. I think that we can still learn and take so much from women like Henriette, and I hope that by shining a light on her story, other women and girls will feel inspired too.”

Can you describe your outfit and gear in a little more detail?

“There weren’t outdoor clothes for women back in 1838, so Henriette created her own outfit for the climb and it’s pretty epic! She decided to wear bloomers and woollen trousers (very frowned upon for women in those days!) with a wool dress over the top. She also had a bonnet, a cape, hobnail boots and of course a feather boa! The outfit weighed around 12kg, so its a lot of extra weight to have to carry to the summit!”

 What was it that started you on this path to advocate for forgotten women explorers?

”I read a book when I was 16 by a woman explorer called Alexandra David Neel. The book captured my imagination and I couldn’t work out why I had never been taught about women like her before. After a difficult time with my mental health during my 20s, I finally decided when I felt better to follow in Alexandra’s footsteps. Since then I have been researching women like her and now have over 100 of them who had incredible adventures, but were mainly overlooked at the time. I’ve also become a little bit addicted to wearing the old gear and setting off into the wild, as is it gives my brain a complete break from the chaos of modern life.”

Good Luck to Lise Wortley and her team!