Polar Preet aims to be first woman to trek unsupported to North Pole
Record-breaking adventurer Preet Chandi, 36, of Derby, wants to set off in March and hopes to complete the trek in around 70 days.
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Your support makes all the difference.A former army physiotherapist is aiming to conquer the “insanely hard” challenge of becoming the first woman to travel solo and unsupported to the North Pole.
Trailblazer Harpreet Chandi, known as Preet and nicknamed Polar Preet, is set to battle exhaustion and endure temperatures of minus 50C to tackle the trek of just under 500 miles on shifting sea ice.
The 36-year-old record-breaking adventurer from Derby thinks it may take around 70 days to complete and “there’s probably a 10% chance or maybe 5% chance I can make it” but is relishing the idea of being pushed out of her comfort zone and finding ways to inspire others to also chase their dreams.
How amazing is it to go and try something that hasn't been done?
Speaking to the PA news agency from her training base in the Antarctic, she said: “No females have done it for a reason.
“It’s insanely hard and not very many men have done it either.
“It’s challenging but for me, it’s about trying something. Even if you have a small chance of making the end goal (I think) it’s worth having that journey.
“I still enjoy pushing my own boundaries. Every time I do trips like this, (I think) it is all just so much bigger than me.
“How amazing is it to go and try something that hasn’t been done?”
Weather permitting, Ms Chandi will set off in March from Ellesmere Island, Canada, the most northern point she can get to, and then start to head to the North Pole.
Only Norway’s Borge Ousland in 1994 and Britain’s Pen Hadow in 2003 are recorded as having made the solo and unsupported journey.
Strength and fitness training to build muscle and fat is necessary so Ms Chandi is powerful enough to pull her heavy sled over rough ice and cope with the “ridiculous” physical demands.
She needs to add 15kg (33lbs) in muscle and fat to her current weight of about 62kg (9st 10lbs).
A polar bear attack is a potential danger but detailed preparations include taking flares to try to scare them off.
“I would say I’m scared, but I think that’s good because, you know, I make sure I’m prepared,” she told PA.
Ms Chandi has been dubbed an “icon” by Guinness World Records (GWR) for re-defining the concept of “push your boundaries”.
It came as she found a way to balance her travels with a role as a British Army captain – she served for 16 years – and earn polar success.
She became the first Asian woman to complete a solo expedition to the South Pole in January 2022, after travelling 700 miles in 40 days.
A year later she covered 922 miles (1,485km) in 70 days and 16 hours, breaking the record for the longest solo, unsupported, one-way polar ski expedition.
She also set the female speed record from the Hercules Inlet on the Ronne Ice Shelf to the South Pole on her third expedition, covering 700 miles over 31 days, 13 hours and 19 minutes between November 26 and December 28 2023.
Ms Chandi knows this expedition is going to be “a lot more challenging” than some of the polar records she has previously set in Antarctica.
She expects to face a “maze” of “wet, dark, rough ice” which will be like climbing blocks that could be at least 20 metres high and then have to cross stretches of open water.
It means she will have to use her ‘dry suit’ which will then need washing off, drying out and repackaging.
Yes, I'm scared, and yes, it's going to be hard. I don't think that is a reason not to necessarily try things
Ms Chandi said: “On Antarctica I could be on land when I’m skiing. This is sea ice, so it is moving. I could ski one day and then the sea could drift me back to where I started.
“Can you imagine just literally going day after day and then going back further than when you started, like that’s pretty hard and challenging, and there’s not really much I can do about that, you know, it’s Mother Nature.
“I still think there’s still beauty in trying to do something that might not be possible.”
The remoteness of the task is also a mental challenge and she will have to cope with an energy-sapping 24/7 vigilance to try to finish the trek safely.
She added: “Sometimes when it’s really hard I don’t think about anything other than putting one foot in front of me, and I think we can relate that to everyday life.
“Yes, I’m scared, and yes, it’s going to be hard. I don’t think that is a reason not to necessarily try things within reason.
“At other times I do think about the bigger picture. I think how amazing it is that someone who once knew nothing about the adventure world can even plan something like this.
“I really hope that inspires people.”