SHE IS known as ‘Polar Preet’ and is one of the most high-profile women officers the British Army has produced to date. For this soldier of south Asian origin, the thirst to break records is unquenchable and Antarctica happens to be the hunting ground for her exploits. Preet already holds two world records for Antarctic trekking, and last December she laid her claim on the third – the fastest woman to complete a solo South Pole ski expedition. She claims she covered 1,130km of Antarctic ice in 31 days, 13 hours and 19 minutes. However, the Guinness World Records team is yet to verify it.

Captain Chandi set off from the Hercules Inlet on the Ronne Ice Shelf on November 26 and arrived at the South Pole on December 28, by skiing for 12 to 13 hours a day on average and pulling a 75kg sled containing the essentials for her survival. Recalling her expedition in her blog, she said that in order to avoid pressure, she chose not to announce her latest expedition, and only a handful people knew. However, on the downside, supporting the trip became a problem. “I didn’t get enough funding to cover the expedition so once again used everything I had to get here. Raising funds is one of the toughest things when it comes to expeditions.”

Moreover, Captain Chandi has been taking career breaks (unpaid leave) during her expeditions, and this is putting pressure on her finances. I am glad that I did it this way but not sure I can afford to do anymore trips quietly!” “This was a solo expedition but there are so many people that helped me get here. These trips are so much bigger than me. It was only a few years ago that I didn’t know anything about