Preet Chandi on solo adventure to South Pole
By Asia Samachar | Britain |
British-born Sikh army officer Preet Chandi has become the first woman of color to complete a solo expedition to the South Pole when she completed a solo 700-mile trek in 40 days.
“Hello everyone, checking in from day 40. I made it to the South Pole where it’s snowing. Feeling so many emotions right now,” she said in a blog entry yesterday (3 Jan 2021).
The 32-year-old physiotherapist at the British Army landed in Antartica on 24 Nov 2021 for the unsupported expedition to the South Pole. The expedition began on Nov 7 when she flew to Chile before embarking from Antarctica’s Hercules Inlet.
The journey saw her pulling a pulk (sledge) with all of her kit, battling temperatures of up to -50c and wind speeds of up to 60mph. Go to her blog for the captured live tracking and click on the map to hear her daily voice blogs.
“This expedition was always about so much more than me. I want to encourage people to push their boundaries and to believe in themselves, and I want you to be able to do it without being labelled a rebel.
“I have been told no on many occasions and told to “just do the normal thing”, but we create our own normal. You are capable of anything you want. No-matter where you are from or where your start line is, everybody starts somewhere. I don’t want to just break the glass ceiling, I want to smash it into a million pieces,” she added in the blog entry.
Preet, who adopted the nickname “Polar Preet” for her blog and fundraising efforts, spent two and a half years preparing for the grueling expedition.
She had always had an interest and passion in sports and exercise medicine from a young age, which stems from playing tennis full time as a junior at an academy in the Czech Republic.
“This motivated me to join the world of physiotherapy. My time in the Army has provided me with invaluable skills in leadership and management in a variety of different settings including austere environments,” she said.
Her thirst for experiences and striving for excellence was reflected in her active pursuit of opportunities to travel and assist in deployments. During her time in the Army, she said he had worked in Cyprus, Kenya, Norway, Nepal, South Sudan and various locations within the UK.
British Army officer Preet Chandi on her Antartica solo adventure
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British Sikh Army officer aims to be first woman of color to ski solo to South Pole – Report (Asia Samachar, 7 Nov 2021)
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So proud of my sister!!