British Army Officer Becomes First Sikh Woman To Complete Solo Expedition To The South Pole

JAKARTA - British-born Sikh army officer Preet Chandi has become the first woman of color to complete a solo expedition to the South Pole.

Chandi, who has spent the last few months skiing alone and unaided in Antarctica, announced on January 3 that he had completed the 700-mile journey in 40 days.

"Feeling so much emotion right now," Chandi said, via his blog, as quoted by CNN January 4.

Before setting off on his journey in November 2021, 32-year-old Chandi told CNN he hopes his adventures will inspire others to push their boundaries and defy cultural norms.

This is a sentiment Chandi emphasized in his finish line blog post.

"Expedition is always about more than me," reads its January 3 update. "I want to encourage people to push their boundaries and to believe in themselves, and I want you to be able to do that without being labeled a rebel."

Starting his expedition on November 7, 2021, Chandi flew to Chile and then departed from Hercules Inlet Antarctica. Along the way, he hauled a 90-kilogram (nearly 200-pound) sled, fuel and food to last him about 45 days.

Chandi, who goes by the nickname "Polar Preet" for his blog and fundraising efforts, spent two and a half years preparing for the grueling expedition.

He underwent niche training in the French Alps, hiked across Iceland's Langjökull Glacier and endured 27 days on ice sheets in Greenland. Not to mention the months he spent dragging heavy tires behind his home in England, to simulate pulling a sled.

During her travels, Chandi's only contact with the outside world was through daily check-ins with her support team, who post updates on her blog and Instagram.

These messages reiterate the scale of Chandi's challenge as she endures through illness, isolation and freezing cold.

Chandi dedicates every upload from Antarctica to the people who have supported him over the years. Her first post was dedicated to her late grandfather, while her close friends went to some close friends, with Chandi taking the opportunity to ask them to be her bridesmaids.

Previously, other women had skied to the South Pole, with Liv Arnesen from Norway who was the first in the world to travel alone and unaided in 1994. Chandi, however, believes she is the first woman of color to do so alone and is unsupported.

"I really hope this inspires people, I hope I do something that is very far from my comfort zone, will inspire people to push their comfort zone and push their boundaries," Chandi told CNN in November.

While preparing for his expedition, carried out as part of his active military service, Chandi became increasingly aware of how important it is for young people to see someone like him as a role model.

"I'm not the image I'd expect people to see, even today. I was told 'you don't really look like a polar explorer,'" he said.

Upon her return from Antarctica, Chandi plans to set up an 'adventure grant' for women using half of the money raised through Go Fund Me for her polar trip. It will be open to women of all ages or backgrounds, he said.

"It can be for any adventure, any unique adventure they want to do that pushes some kind of boundary. It doesn't have to be a polar expedition. And I really hope this is something that will continue, year after year."