It’s possible for her to become the first person of colour to cross Antarctica alone on a 700-mile trip to the South Pole.
Preet Chandi, a trailblazer, is struggling to withstand temperatures as low as -50C, and strong winds up to 60 mph. She drags an 87kg sled 45 days on her own.
She represents the best of courage.
This is likely why the Derby-born Army physical therapist became so frustrated by her fear of training in darkness at her London park.
A 32-year-old woman shared her experience in October via a blog post. It was after’recent horrendous events’ that she decided to stop part of her outdoor training.
This happened after Sarah Everard (33) and Sabina Nassa (28), were each stabbed to death while they walked alone in the capital at night earlier this year.
Preet was driving her tyres when the light suddenly turned dark.
She revealed that she was terrified and thought of how to check if streetlights were present.
“I was frustrated because I thought of how others would say that I should not have gone out by myself at that point, which only made it worse.”
Preet Chandi, 32, has already set off on a 45-day, 700-mile trek across Antarctica after spending the last few years in rigorous training (Pictured on a birthday night out in New York)
After flying from Chile’s Punta Arenas to Antarctica, the Union Glacier Glacier, she set out from the Hercules Inlet, at the southern edge the Ronne Ice Shelf. It is 702 mi (1,130 km) from South Pole.
Preet faces temperatures up to -50C, fierce winds and up to 60mph. Preet can be followed live on her web page by an interactive map.
Preet claimed that she kept her poles at her side, ready to defend her self if necessary. She then drove as fast as possible back to her vehicle.
“I was uncomfortable going back to the park even though I have been there regularly during the day,” she said.
Preet wrote the council to report that she returned a week later to find there had been lamp posts along the route. It was clear they were not working.
She said, “There have been some terrible recent events. It’s frustrating to watch people victim blaming.”
“We don’t need to be afraid. I don’t know the answers, but I want to make others feel safe and to help them feel that way. This is something I feel alone.
As a young athlete, she trained at Novak Djokovic’s tennis academy. She continued her training, and received lots of support from online friends. Ben Fogle also told her via Instagram, “Good luck! I will be following you.”
This London-based female servicewoman is currently serving in a Medical Regiment, in the west of England. She began the epic journey on November 24, just after she flew to Chile’s ice caps.
She updated her blog on Christmas Eve to say she’s doing well. She added: “I’m still working my way through Sastrugi. She said that visibility was excellent, which is very helpful.
Preet shared an image of the terrain that she faced on Day 30. “I did fall a couple of times, but nothing serious. I also had to use my arms and pull the Pulk out of the Sastrugi deeps. They can get to a few meters high so when its a whiteout and you cant see you’re stepping very carefully’
The sports enthusiast, who once trained at the Novak Djokovic tennis academy as a teenager, has received heaps of support online, including from British adventurer Ben Fogle, who told her on Instagram: ‘Good luck, I’ll be following you’ (Pictured with her boarding pass before her flight to Antarctica)
Preet, who was at home in the UK pulled tyres in imitation of the heavy sled she would pull across Antarctica. However, Preet admitted that she lost control and couldn’t drag them about her London park after ‘horrific events’ in October.
Preet is live tracking her route with an interactive map on her website.
Her followers are updated daily with blog posts and photographs, showing how she’s skiing for approximately 11 hours each day and laughing every time she slips on the icy terrain.
Day 12 was the hardest day of her life. The terrain was frozen. In the first hour, I was able to fall over several times.
“The first fall I made was a frustration, but the following times it became a laughing matter and I got up again and carried on. You just need to take one step at a time.
“Besides, although I cannot control the weather, or terrain, what I can do is control my reaction to it.” My mindset is what I control.
A few days later, she added: “Strange to believe that I haven’t seen any signs of another person since 14 days.” “I haven’t even begun to speak to myself.”
She reached 83° South on day 14, which she called ‘awesome’.
Preet has been listening to audiobooks along the journey, including three of Ben Fogle’s – Up, Inspire and Race to the Pole – Amy Poehler’s book Yes Please and Will Smith’s.
On December 20, day 27, she wrote: ‘I’m in good spirits still and I’m still enjoying my own company which is always good.’
By Day 29 she added: ‘I’m doing ok so far. Bit tired. Feels strange to have been alone for 29 days, its funny I thought I’d feel more lonely but to be honest I felt much more lonely as a teenager living away and playing a sport full time I wasn’t enjoying.’
David was her engagement ring bearer. Dave is simply my rock.
Her blog was updated on Christmas Eve, revealing that she had been doing well. She wrote: “I’m still working my way through Sastrugi. It was clear which is encouraging. This section is experiencing 30mph wind speeds today, so it’s moving slowly. It’s also getting colder which means I don’t stop for as long on the breaks. I’m feeling ok, a bit tired.’
Preet snaps a picture of her skiing in the Antarctica sled, two weeks after she started her journey
Preet is an officer in the Medical Regiment, north-west England. On November 24, Preet flew to Chile’s icecap. (pictured as a selfie, Day 14)
Preet (pictured), an Indian Sikh born in Britain, currently lives and works in London. She hopes her remarkable feat will inspire Asian women.
Preet flew from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Antarctica’s Union Glacier.
She dragged her ultra-marathon runner, tied to her back, tyres in her hands for the week leading up to the trip.
Preet also spent 27 day on Greenland’s Ice Cap, fighting through the harshest weather conditions.
According to the British-born Indian Sikh, she hopes to encourage other Asian women.
Because she “looked different”, she revealed that eggs were thrown at her as a teenager.
One blog entry she shared was: “It took a long while to be proud the colour my skin. I used to be embarrassed, having eggs thrown at me and people spit at me when I was a teenager because I “looked different” certainly didn’t help.
‘It was a long time before I understood my culture and my roots. So when I refer to myself as “a woman of color”, it is because my skin, roots and culture are all proud.
‘This term isn’t used to offend anyone. I am a part of it and this expedition with a woman of color is very powerful. Having been told on many occasions that I don’t look like a polar explorer… lets change the image you expect to see.’
The Army asked her to tell the Army that she had decided to travel to Antarctica.
“I believe it is important to demonstrate diversity and to increase it just to show that it is possible. It doesn’t really matter from where you are or what background you have. You can do something similar.
‘It might not be the norm, I might not be the image that you’d expect to see doing something like this, but I think it’s important to break out of what people expect to be the norms… if enough people do something new, it becomes normal.’
According to Army records, Preet hadn’t even camped before joining the Army.
In the years since, she has enjoyed mountaineering and wilderness camping in Wales as well as learning about polar navigation and sled pulling in Norway.
Super-fit members of the squad have also hiked in Brazil and Bolivia.
However, sport and competition are in her blood. At 14 she left home to learn tennis at an academy. Two years later, she joined Novak Djokovic Academy in Czech Republic.
A runner, she is an ultramarathoner and has run some of the most difficult challenges in the world such as the Marathon des Sables (156 miles) across the Sahara Desert earlier this year.
It was hot and humid throughout. On one night, we were hit with a sandstorm which completely destroyed our tent. In her blog, she recalls.
After being dropped in Antarctica, Preet takes a picture with the Twin Otter aircraft.
Preet was welcomed by the Chilean Army as she waited to board a plane for Antarctica.
Half of her funds will be used to fund an adventure grant to women who take on unique challenges. This trailblazer plans to start it next year.
Preet learned to haul a heavy-sled in Iceland during a training trip this year. He also had to withstand severe weather conditions.
A Derby-born Army physiotherapist, the Physiotherapist is currently serving in a Medical Regiment located in the west of England. However, he has also been working out in the field including South Sudan.
“The highlight was receiving a coke zero (my Achilles heel) on Day Five…and finishing off of course.
Preet stated that she would use all the lessons she learned from these trials on her long journey to South Pole. She said that she had already craved the coke zero by day 26.
Her sled was named after Simran, her 9-year-old niece; her skis were named after Karanveer, her infant nephew.
This trailblazer will use half the money she raised to finance an adventure grant that would allow women to take on challenging challenges.
The rest will go to Khalsa Aid, ‘who’s message is to recognise the whole human race as one,’ she said.
Her website announced the trip and she said: “Hopefully, doing something that pushes my boundaries so much will inspire other people to believe in themselves.
“Only a handful of female adventurers have made solo treks on the continent unsupported.
“It’s time to give history a new name, to bring more diversity to the world.
“I want my niece not to be limited, and I know the endless possibilities for all of her future endeavors.”
She stated, “This trip aims to inspire future generation in achieving what they want and pushing the boundaries.”
“By encouraging and completing the challenge, I can act as a role-model to young women, men, and people from different ethnicities.
Polar Preet joins other inspiring British women who broke Antarctica records.
Mollie Hughes, 29, a resident of Edinburgh and the youngest person to solo ski to the South Pole since 2019, is pictured here at Edinburgh Airport.
British women seem to love Antarctica and have set records.
Briton Felicity aston, a Briton woman who skied alone over the ice caps back in 2012 was first.
After pulling two sledges over 1,084 mile for 59 days, this record-breaking adventurer finally reached the continent.
After finally reaching Hercules Inlet, she tweeted her excitement.
Aston from Kent also broke another record by becoming the first person to solo ski across Antarctica with only her muscle power.
A female-male ski team had already crossed Antarctica together, but Aston was alone to accomplish this feat.
Mollie Hughes (29-year-old adventurer from Edinburgh) became the youngest person to solo ski to South Pole in January 2020.
Ms Hughes skied for 58.5 days pulling all her food in a sledge during her lone trek across Antarctica, before confirming she had reached the geographic South Pole via Twitter.
Originaly from Devon, Ms Hughes towed 105kg along the 702-mile trip from Antarctica to South Pole.
Her expedition began November 13th, 2019, and she described it as being ‘extremely difficult’ because of the ‘extreme’ circumstances.
Although she had initially planned to get to the South Pole on New Year’s Day in her initial plans, the weather during the first two weeks nearly thwarted that plan.
Headwinds up to 55knots were encountered, as well as temperatures below 0°C. She was also subjected to a whiteout eight days consecutively.
In 2017, Ms. Hughes was already the youngest person to scale Mount Everest, from both directions.