Learning English

The story…

First woman of colour to complete a solo expedition across Antarctica

Learn language related to…

physical challenges

Need-to-know language…

comfort zone – situation where you feel relaxed

gruelling – very difficult; involving great effort

toughest – most difficult situation to deal with

reservations – doubts; concerns

hardships – difficult situations that cause some kind of suffering

Answer this…

How many calories a day did Harpreet consume on the expedition?

Transcript

Harpreet Kaur Chandi, Polar explorer
I just made it to the South Pole!

Meet Harpreet Kaur Chandi. Also known as Polar Preet. The 33-year-old has been making headlines all over the world after becoming the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition across Antarctica.

Harpreet Kaur Chandi
[I'm] feeling pretty incredible, right now.

Captain Preet, who is a trained physiotherapist working for the British Army, has successfully trekked 1,126 kilometres in 40 days, 7 hours and 3 minutes - thus making her the third-fastest woman to trek across Antarctica.

Harpreet Kaur Chandi
The reason Antarctica was because I didn’t know much about it, you know, and I thought, if I can do something that pushes me so far out of my comfort zone, hopefully it’ll inspire other people to do the same.

Today was tough. Another whiteout. [I'm] feeling pretty tired.

As a part of her gruelling expedition, Preet endured temperatures as low as minus 50 degree Celsius, and wind speeds of up to 96 kilometres per hour, and walked around 27 kilometres a day, pulling a 90-kilogram sled containing her kit.

Harpreet Kaur Chandi
It was generally windy, there were only, like, two days that I can remember when there was, like, minimal wind. I had to melt snow to make my water. In the evening I was having freeze-dried meals, which to be honest were really tasty.

And, I did miss fresh food obviously by the end. And during the day I was having like a mixture of things like nuts and chocolate, and cheese and salamis. You know, I'm burning a lot of calories, and I was eating about 5,000 calories a day.

Even then, you know, I lost 10 kilos by the end of the expedition. There were times where it was so hard, and I just thought ‘this is the toughest thing I've ever done, like, how am I going to keep going?’ And I would just break it down and I'd take one step at a time, but I never thought, 'I'm going to give up'.

Preet spent two years planning and training for this adventure, which included her dragging tyres around for up to five hours a day, as well as a 27-day trip to Greenland to help her become accustomed to the extreme weather conditions.

Preet also faced a lot of reservations from relatives and her community, as not many South Asians take part in outdoor activities or go on expeditions.

Despite all the hardships and challenges, Preet says that there’s no stopping, and has started training for her next adventure.

Harpreet Kaur Chandi
I actually intend to do a crossing of Antarctica, which if you look at the map it’s just going at a right angle basically.

Did you get it?

How many calories a day did Harpreet consume on the expedition?

She consumed about 5,000 calories a day.