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Updated November 4th, 2021 at 21:31 IST

UK: 32-year-old Preet Chandi set to be 1st woman of colour to finish South Pole solo trek

Chandi, a 32-year-old army physiotherapist, aspires to be the first woman of colour to finish an unsupported solo walk across Antarctica to the South Pole.

Reported by: Aparna Shandilya
UK
Image: Twitter | Image:self
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Chandi, a 32-year-old army physiotherapist, aspires to be the first woman of colour to finish an unsupported solo walk across Antarctica to the South Pole. She will battle wind chills of -50 degrees Celsius and snowstorms while towing a sled weighing approximately 95 kg for the 700-mile expedition, which is expected to take around 45 days.

Chandi, fondly known as Polar Preet, acknowledges that the expedition is intimidating, but she feels well prepared after years of preparation. She has run ultramarathons, including the gruelling Marathon des Sables across the Sahara desert, and battled extreme weather conditions on a 27-day trek on Greenland's ice cap, according to The Guardian.

Preet Chandi suffered a slight case of frostbite on her nose when she returned from a walk across Greenland last year. She recalled someone telling her that they'd never seen an injury like that on someone of her skin colour before. In response, she said, "I am an Asian woman, I’m not the image that people expect to see out there," according to The Guardian.

She has been dragging tyres through the streets near her house just outside Derby, UK, in recent weeks in preparation to push her sled, a 2 metre-long pulk containing all her food and equipment, up the slopes of Antarctica, and she faces a number of inquisitive questions from passers-by.

'Lot of us come from different communities with different barriers and boundaries': Chandi

"People say the outdoors is for everyone and yes, it is. But if you come from a community that is not involved in it at all, or you don’t know anybody that does outdoorsy things, or you don’t see anybody that looks like you doing it, it can be really hard," The Guardian quoted her saying.

"A lot of us come from different communities with different barriers and boundaries," she said. She added that people are encouraged to stay in lane and become a dentist, doctor, or a lawyer, which are important in the Asian community, in her opinion.

When she returns, she intends to establish an adventure grant to assist other women in funding unique adventures, and she expressed delight at seeing change in what has traditionally been a male-dominated field. According to her, there are an increasing number of female adventurers out there and there are more different groupings that are 'fantastic' and 'awe-inspiring' to witness.

She thinks that witnessing someone like herself pushing boundaries will inspire many young people to pursue large-scale excursions, The Guardian reported.

Image: Twitter

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Published November 4th, 2021 at 21:31 IST

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