Monet Eliastam ’13 is not only blazing a trail — she’s skiing across it.
For the past three years, Eliastam has diligently trained to become the first American woman to ski the South Pole solo and unsupported. This November, she’ll set off for Antarctica, alone save for two sleds totaling a whopping 250 pounds.
Despite being an innate part of Eliastam’s personhood, adventuring wasn’t her initial post-grad plan. After earning her undergraduate degree in film studies from Barnard, she remained in New York to save money with the goal of becoming a documentarian.
After a few years in the workforce, Eliastam decided to leave her nonprofit job in the city. She continued to weave her love of traveling with the art of storytelling by creating her own travel series on YouTube, portraying a fresh and honest take on the realities of traveling as a woman. In one episode, she attempted to find tampons while hiking in Nepal.
“I still think in mainstream media we don’t see much [representation] in the travel or adventure world,” said Eliastam. “And if we don’t see it, then we don’t know what’s possible.”
While many public-facing adventurers in mainstream media are men, she wants to shift the notion that solo traveling is a man’s job, by doing it herself — a mindset she surely fine-tuned by attending a women’s college. Eliastam shares her expeditions with an online community of over 460,000 followers, many of whom are women she empowers with her independent adventures and worldlens.
Through her various social platforms, she organizes group trips to encourage others to push their limits in a collaborative environment. The trips range from low- to high-activity levels and typically last around 8-12 days. Participants can enjoy peace of mind engaging in guided adventures, easing themselves into high-activity excursions under Eliastam’s leadership. Trips include hiking up the tallest mountain in Kenya, sailing the Sporades in Greece, and searching for polar bears in Greenland.
And now she is embarking upon her biggest adventure yet: making history.
“This isn’t just about skiing to the South Pole,” said Eliastam on her website. “It’s about showing up scared and doing it anyway.”
This upcoming expedition has been a goal of hers since 2022 when Preet Chandi became the first woman of color to complete a solo crossing of Antarctica. The headlines made their way to Eliastam, and a seed was planted. Despite never having been to Antarctica and not knowing how to ski, Eliastam felt compelled to add a South Pole trip to her growing list of adventures. She began her research, the idea never wavering.
“It sounded terrifying — and amazing. I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” said Eliastam. She landed upon a beginner expedition course run by an American company called Polar Explorers, a test drive before jumping into such a monumental challenge.
She recalled a breakthrough moment during the course — her guides asked why she signed up. Hesitant to answer truthfully, in fear of being laughed out of her goal, Eliastam reluctantly relayed her mission. The response surprised her: “They said, ‘you can absolutely do this. You have to train for it. It will be hard, but you can 100% do it.’”
And so she decided to train.
Eliastam’s extensive regiment began in October of 2023 with the same coach who worked with Preet Chandi. One component of her training made her somewhat of a local celebrity both on the side of the road and in various news outlets — tire pulling. She dragged two tires behind her to prepare for pulling the full weight of her sleds, as onlookers watched in awe.
“You have to give up the idea that you’ll find a road with no cars or people,” said Eliastam, recounting the challenge of tire pulling in public spaces. “You definitely lose all sense of shame.”
With her busy schedule and consistent traveling, Eliastam kept spare tires in alternate locations around the world to continue her training no matter her zip code. She had business cards on hand, to pass out to the inevitably inquisitive passersby.
Other essential training included glacier travel courses, wilderness first aid, and familiarizing herself with her gear — soon to be her most cherished companion on the journey. All in all, her training amounted to approximately fifteen to twenty hours a week, while simultaneously spearheading her group excursions.
“I've thought about this expedition every single day for three years. And it’s finally happening.”
For the upcoming journey, Eliastam will be dropped off alone on the edge of Antarctica where she will then embark upon the Hercules Inlet route. She’ll ski from the Ronne Ice Shelf to the Antarctic plateau and then south to the pole. The Hercules Inlet route is 700 miles total with approximately 8,000 feet of elevation gain.
For approximately 50 days, she will experience the same 24 hours on a loop: wake up, eat breakfast, break down camp, ski for eight hours, set up camp, eat dinner, go to sleep. Repeat. She’ll end her voyage with the same supplies she arrived with. Her meals will consist of oatmeal, candy bars, protein bars, ramen — nothing fresh.
Along her crossing of the great white south, Eliastam will face rough terrain head-on, navigating polar weather conditions such as fields of sastrugi, white-outs, and katabatic winds.
To officially earn the title of first American woman to ski the South Pole solo and unsupported, Eliastam must adhere to the classification guidelines. If she runs into trouble along the way and requests help, she’ll lose her unsupported status. Though direct assistance is not available, she’ll engage in daily security check-ins at the same time every day. If she misses a check-in twice, an automatic emergency response is triggered.
Once Eliastam crosses Antarctica, she’ll return to an encampment in Punta Arenas, Chile, where she’ll be met by family members to celebrate her historic achievement.
“An important part of the expedition is also processing it after it happens,” said Eliastam. “I've seen other people go into this trap of ‘what's next?’”
And while there will certainly be another extraordinary expedition to follow, Eliastam is taking this journey one step — or ski — at a time.
As for the current Barnard adventurers hoping to make a mark on the world by getting a few new stamps in their passports, Eliastam has a few words of wisdom: “Just do it. Take the first step and don’t overthink it,” she said. “Wherever you go — lead with an open mind and listen more than you speak.”
For those interested in following Eliastam’s journey as she skis across the South Pole, follow her on social media and subscribe to her Patreon and Substack.