Army officer becomes first woman of color to reach South Pole solo

British Army officer Preet Chandi has become the first woman of color to reach the South Pole solo, after completing a 1,130-kilometer trek across the Antarctic.

Chandi, a captain with the 3rd Medical Regiment, traversed the frigid continent on skis over 40 days to reach the planet's most southerly point.

The 32-year-old endured blizzards, bitter winds, poor visibility, and temperature lows of minus 45 degrees Celsius as she navigated her way from Hercules Inlet, on the coast of the Antarctic, to its center.

Chandi let the world know she had reached her destination in a podcast uploaded to her personal blog via satellite telephone.

"I made it to the South Pole where it's snowing," she said. "I knew nothing about the polar world three years ago and it feels so surreal to finally be here."

Chandi went through polar training in Norway and Greenland in preparation for the expedition, before flying from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Union Glacier, Antarctica, on Nov 21. She waited three days for the weather to clear before taking a 30-minute flight in a light aircraft to Hercules Inlet.

She commenced her trek on Nov 24, pulling a specialized sled known as a pulk, which weighed 87 kilograms when fully loaded with provisions and equipment. She aimed to complete the journey in 45 days, and finished five days early, marking the third-fastest solo time set by a woman.

In a statement from the British Army, Brigadier Lizzie Faithfull-Davies said that the "remarkable "Chandi was an "inspiration to us all", and veteran Antarctic expedition leader Steve Jones called the achievement "a standout success "in a season when a number of separate South Pole attempts had failed.

Chandi, who is an avid climber and also runs ultramarathons, was on the move for between nine and 11 hours each day. The dangers of remaining stationary in freezing conditions meant infrequent breaks were limited to 10 minutes. Often she encountered whiteout, or dense blizzards, forcing her to navigate solely by compass.

Having weighed her kit down to the gram, on day four Chandi discovered an unexpected item; a COVID-19 mask given to her on Union Glacier, which she named Miles, and carried with her for the entire journey.

Chandi, who is of South Asian descent, is the first woman of color to reach the South Pole solo.

"Having been told on many occasions that I don't look like a polar explorer, let's change the image you expect to see," she said in a message on day 22.

United States adventurer Ann Bancroft led the first women to the South Pole in an all-female expedition in 1993, and Norway's Liv Arnesen achieved the goal solo the following year. The pole was reached for the first time ever in 1911, by an expedition led by Norwegian Roald Amundsen.