Elise
Age: 32
From: London
Occupation: PR Executive

ABOUT

After reading about female explorers when she was younger, Elise was inspired to start ‘Woman with Altitude’, a project where she leads expeditions following in the footsteps of history's forgotten female adventurers, using only equipment that was available to them at the time. Through this project, Elise shines a light on these inspiring women who defied societal norms and who were often overlooked compared to their male counterparts, while challenging the traditional narrative of adventurers being fearless and male.

Having suffered with anxiety and panic attacks since moving to London, 11 years ago, Elise has found that reconnecting with nature has been instrumental in her recovery and helped inspire her project.

Elise wants to take on this challenge to test everything she has learnt through her project and to show that all women have a place in the adventure and exploration space.

Interview with Elise

Do you think you’ve got what it takes?

I’m terrified of the cold but I know I can get through that. For me, it’s the other side of it - the fishing, the bush crafts, the building of the shelter – those are things I have never done before, so that’s my worry, that I don’t have what it takes there. Then mentally I’m sort of 50/50 because I’ve obviously got my self- doubt, but I also know from the past things that I’ve done, that I can stick out an unpleasant situation.

What do they see as your competition?

The competition for me is definitely with myself, because I don’t want to be in competition with the landscape and with nature, I want to be fully immersed in it, and I want to try and, I guess, thrive and not just survive in it. Everyone else for me is separate. I know there is prize money, but to be honest I didn’t actually know that when I agreed to go on the show. It’s all about proving to myself that I can do it. I’m not going to worry about what anyone else is doing, who has come out, who is going to stay to the end. I’m not even thinking about the end because in my head there is so far to go until I even get there. Maybe if there’s two weeks to go, I’ll start thinking about it, but for now I just need to get there and, get used to being by myself and try to get through the first few weeks.

How do you feel about taking part in this adventure?

For me this is the biggest adventure of my life. I have never been this remote. I have never been dropped off in the middle of nowhere with not a clue where I’m going to be. Because usually when I do my trips I plan everything meticulously myself; I know what’s happening every second of every day, who is going to be there and what’s going to happen. For me this is completely a loss of control in that sense. So this loss of control is a big adventure for me, sort of letting that go. And the location as well; we’re literally in the middle of nowhere. I have never been to a wilderness like this; I have never experienced bears or moose, or anything like that. I don’t know what they sound like. I also have no previous bushcraft or survival experience, I've never made a fire without matches, I've never used an axe, chopped down a tree or built a shelter before. So yeah, it’s definitely the biggest thing I’ve ever done, and probably will ever do. It’s extreme, it’s really extreme.

What’s the longest you’ve been alone, and how do you feel about that aspect of this?

I am a really sociable person; I really like human company. I think the longest I’ve ever been alone before is on one of my trips - I was alone for three weeks in the middle of the mountains in Scotland. But even then I saw people on the paths, I said good morning to people, I was chatting about what I was doing. I won’t have that on this adventure. I was alone from people I know but this is totally different in a way because I’m not going to have any communication with anyone. And I think when that happens you do go into deep recesses of your brain that I don’t think I’ve ever really been in before, so I’m quite scared about that. But I think with everything else going on, I’m just going to take each day at a time and I’m going to try not to think of the past or the future, and just think about the present day, what’s happening that day, what I need to do, and remember that there is an end. And I guess I’ll just talk to myself a lot, because everyone has to talk. Humans aren’t really meant to be alone for long periods of time. I also would like this time maybe to delve into some of those quieter bits of my mind, and to see what’s in there. I’m looking forward to it, but I don’t know beyond a month how I’ll be feeling. I don’t know how I’m going to react.

Do you think this could be pivotal in your life?

I think this is huge, this is the biggest thing I’ve ever done. And it can go one of two ways; if I have an awful time and I can’t do it, it will totally knock my confidence. But if I thrive and I do really well, and I catch that fish, because I’ve never really caught a fish before, it will just open so many other doors. I must admit, I am terrified to go out there, but I’m equally excited. Once I’ve done this, I think I will have a lot more confidence going into other things.

What is the thing you’re most looking forward to seeing or doing?

I’m most looking forward to seeing the Northern Lights. I’m also really looking forward to that moment when I have caught my first fish and I’m sat outside my shelter and can actually take a little bit of time to appreciate where I am, once everything has calmed down. I've always wanted to be fully immersed in the wild, to become part of nature and live off the land - I can't wait to become a completely wild woman. I’m also looking forward to seeing the animals as well, especially the bears. Although I’m terrified, I can’t wait to see a bear. And just being fully immersed in nature, especially when I can actually relax, because I don’t get that in London, I don’t get that at home, and I think that’s what I’m really craving now in my life.

What would it mean to you to win?

Oh wow. I can’t imagine myself winning, so I just can’t see it, but if I did, it would be completely nuts. It would mean so much actually, because I can’t see myself getting that far. Getting that far would be proving to myself that I can and I have done it and I think that would change my mentality about believing in myself. It would mean a huge amount to me.

How dangerous do you think this is going to be?

I mean there are bears, it’s cold, if I get wet, if my sleeping bag gets wet, then that’s kind of game over. You can’t stay out there if you’re cold and wet. It’s really unforgiving.

How do you think you’d feel if you have to tap out?

I’m not planning to tap out unless I am injured or ill. I haven’t thought about it in an “I can’t take this anymore” scenario. So if I am at that point where I’m not injured and I’m not ill, and I haven’t lost too much weight, I don’t know what will be going through my head at that point to warrant that. I can’t imagine it.

Are you worried about big animal encounters?

I have never been around a moose or a bear before, so I think it’s going to be a whole new experience. I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to act. I know moose are huge - I’m more scared of them than the bears. I’m just going to take on all the safety advice I’ve been given, and just try and stay out of their way. I’m not hunting them. I think if they come through the camp I’ll just have to try and stay calm and deal with it as best I can, but I’m not going to actively seek them out. But I’ll be terrified if a moose comes into the camp, I will be scared. But I just have to try and stay calm and deal with it. But again, I don’t know how I’ll act until it actually happens because I’ve never come face to face with one before. The big animals are not my biggest worry, I’m almost looking forward to seeing them in their habit.

Tell me how much this challenge means to you.

This challenge means a lot to me. If I can do this there’ll be so many demons in my head that will get blown out of the water. It is such a big thing to do and I’m really proud of myself for even accepting the