ARMY veteran Harpreet Chandi, nicknamed Polar Preet, is set to attempt what experts once declared impossible - a solo, unsupported trek to the North Pole.
The 36-year-old from Derby aims to be the first woman to achieve this feat in 2025, braving brutal conditions that have deterred explorers for the past decade, reported the Times.
Only two people have ever completed such a journey - Norway's Borge Ousland in 1994 and Britain's Pen Hadow in 2003. Climate change has made the challenge even more formidable, with thinning ice and unpredictable conditions forcing many to abandon similar attempts.
"No females have done it for a reason," Chandi admits frankly. "It's insanely hard and not very many men have done it either." She estimates her chances of success at just 5 to 10 per cent.
The 70-day expedition will see her battle temperatures of minus 50C while covering nearly 500 miles across shifting sea ice from Ellesmere Island, Canada. Unlike her previous Antarctic expeditions, where solid ground provided stable footing, the Arctic presents a uniquely challenging environment.
"This is sea ice, so it is moving," Chandi explains. "I could ski one day and then the sea could drift me back to where I started. Can you imagine just literally going day after day and then going back further than when you started?"
To prepare for this gruelling challenge, Chandi must gain two stone of muscle and fat beyond her current 62kg frame. She'll need every ounce of that extra weight to pull her heavy sled across rough ice and navigate 60-foot ice blocks. She'll also carry flares to ward off polar bears and don a dry suit for crossing open water.
The former army physiotherapist is no stranger to breaking records. She holds the title for the longest solo, unsupported polar ski expedition, covering 922 miles in 70 days. She made history as the first woman of Asian descent to reach the South Pole solo and recently set the female speed record from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole.
Her journey from Derby to becoming a record-breaking polar explorer began after becoming her family's first university graduate in 2012. Starting with half marathons, she progressed to ultra-marathons while serving in the army, using unpaid leave to pursue her expeditions.
Even setbacks fuel her determination. When she fell short of crossing Antarctica last year, she returned to set a new speed record instead. This resilient spirit extends to supporting others - when Norwegian explorer Hege Victoria recently attempted to break her record, Chandi personally saw her off, describing her as an "exceptional human being" and pledging to cheer her on.
Her message to others remains powerfully simple: "If a Punjabi girl from Derby can get to Antarctica, you can go and achieve anything."
The North Pole expedition marks her most ambitious challenge yet. In 2014, polar experts told National Geographic that solo, unsupported treks to the North Pole were finished, citing climate change and logistics. Even Kenn Borek Air, the only charter service operating in the region, stopped supporting private expeditions.
But Chandi remains undaunted. "Yes, I'm scared, and yes, it's going to be hard," she acknowledges, "I don't think that is a reason not to necessarily try things within reason."
Damian Talbot