Polar trekker in 'insanely hard' record challenge

A former British Army officer who holds three world records hopes to become the first woman to travel solo to the North Pole.

Trailblazer Preet Chandi, nicknamed Polar Preet, is set to battle exhaustion and endure temperatures of -50C (-58F) during the trek of just under 500 miles on shifting sea ice.

The 36-year-old, from Derby, said the "insanely hard" challenge could take about 70 days to complete and there is "a 10% chance or maybe 5% chance I can make it".

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

Ms Chandi, who served as an army captain for 16 years, is due to set off in March from Ellesmere Island in Canada - the most northern point she can get to - before heading to the North Pole.

She expects to face a "maze" of "wet, dark, rough ice" which she said will be like climbing blocks that could be at least 20 metres (65ft) high and then have to cross stretches of open water.

"No females have done it for a reason," she told PA news agency from her training base in the Antarctic.

"It's insanely hard and not very many men have done it either.

"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."

The record-breaking adventurer admits the expedition will be "a lot more challenging" than some of her previous polar records.

"On Antarctica I could be on land when I'm skiing," she said. "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.

"I still think there's still beauty in trying to do something that might not be possible."

The physiotherapist became the first Asian woman to complete a solo expedition to the South Pole in January 2022, after travelling 700 miles (1,126km) 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 26 November and 28 December 2023.

Ms Chandi said she was relishing the idea of being pushed out of her comfort zone and finding ways to inspire others to also chase their dreams.

"I still enjoy pushing my own boundaries," she added. "Every time I do trips like this, it is all just so much bigger than me."

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