Adventurer Preet Chandi aims to be first woman to ski to North Pole without support | UK News

An adventurer from Derby is looking to become the first woman to ski solo and unsupported to the North Pole.

Preet Chandi, a former army physiotherapist, told Sky’s Sarah-Jane Mee she is looking to become only the third-ever person to make the Arctic expedition on her own without support.

Already a Guinness World Record holder, 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.

Ms Chandi then covered 922 miles in 70 days and 16 hours a year later, breaking the record for the longest solo, unsupported, one-way polar ski expedition in Antarctica.

With her eyes now set on the Arctic, the adventurer said on Friday morning: “I know there’s a slim chance of me actually making the endpoint, but that’s also the beauty in it.

“It’s trying to do something that I know is really challenging, and there’s beauty in trying. There’s beauty in the journey itself.”

Ms Chandi added: “For me, I knew nothing about Antarctica four years ago. I remember learning about the South Pole and I was like ‘oh it would be great to the North Pole too’ knowing nothing about it.”

“Started to look into it and thought ‘this seems very, very challenging,’ but like with anything you learn by looking into it.”

While she’s experienced in traversing the Antarctic, Ms Chandi – nicknamed Polar Preet – acknowledges that “heading to the North Pole is very different”.

“In Antarctica for example, I am skiing generally on the land and I have 24-hour daylight in the summer season,” she said. “Whereas heading to the Arctic I will be on sea ice – which means it’s moving.

“I could set up camp one day and then be in a different location because the sea is moving. I have to cross sections of open water so I have a dry suit I get into to cross those sections of water

“I have to cross rough ice which can very, very high, so I’ll have to take my skis off and literally climb over those… And there are polar bears as well.”

Ms Chandi will set off in March from the most northern point she can get to – Ellesmere Island in Canada – and then start the journey to the North Pole.

Before the excursion, she needs to undergo strength and fitness training to build muscle and fat and has to add 15kg to her current weight of about 62kg.

Only Norway’s Borge Ousland in 1994 and Britain’s Pen Hadow in 2003 are recorded as having made the solo and unsupported journey to the North Pole.

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Despite the challenge, Ms Chandi said “it’s what inspires me to keep going”, and added: “If I, somebody who knew nothing about this world, a Punjabi woman from Derby, can go and do these things, then anyone can do anything.

“When I’m doing these difficult challenges, often I’m just thinking about taking it one step at a time, putting my left foot forward and my right foot forward.

“I think when we’re having difficult moments wherever we are, we often think about ‘what’s that one thing we need to’ whether it’s only to get out of bed, ‘I’m then going to brush my teeth or step out the door’.

“I really hope that people can relate to the journey in different ways.”