Preet Chandi, a 32-year-old British Army officer of Indian-origin is embarking on the long and gruelling voyage to be the first woman of colour make a solo and unsupported trip to the South Pole (Pic. Courtesy polarpreet.com)
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Preet Chandi, a 32-year-old British Army officer of Indian-origin is embarking on the long and gruelling voyage to be the first woman of colour make a solo and unsupported trip to the South Pole.</p>
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She flew to Chile on Sunday, to be dropped at Antarctica&#39;s Hercules Inlet. From there, Chandi will trek solo 700 miles across the ice to the South Pole, hauling a sled weighing 90 kilograms with all her kit, fuel and food to last her 45 days.</p>
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Temperatures will dip as low as minus 50 Celsius (minus 58 Fahrenheit) with wind chill. Her only contact with the outside world will be a daily check-in with her support team.</p>
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Chandi, who has adopted the nickname &quot;Polar Preet&quot; for her blog and fundraising efforts, has spent two and a half years preparing for the gruelling expedition.</p>
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She&#39;s undergone rigorous training in the French Alps, trekked across Iceland&#39;s Langj&ouml;kull Glacier and endured 27 days on the ice cap in Greenland. She has also been dragging a heavy tire behind her back home in England, as practice for pulling a sled.</p>
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The Army captain is determined to achieve her goal and hopes to inspire others to push their boundaries and defy cultural norms.</p>
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&quot;I&#39;m not really the image I think people expect to see, even now,&quot; she told CNN, referring to her Indian background. &quot;I&#39;m told that &#39;you don&#39;t really look like a polar explorer.&#39;&quot;</p>
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Other women have skied to the South Pole, with Norway&rsquo;s Liv Arnesen&nbsp;the first in the world to make the trip alone and unsupported in 1994. But Chandi aims to be the first woman of colour to accomplish the feat.</p>
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