Tag: antarctica

Hi Everyone, on day 8 today. So it started warm this morning but this afternoon the wind picked up so I stopped and put my mittens on and Gilet on as extra layers. So far the wind has got up to about 25mph and as soon as the wind picks up it feels a lot colder as well.

There’s a lot more Sastrugi around which the pulk catches on and I have to jerk it forwards with my hips, so just trying to navigate around all of that today but managed to do another 11 hours which is good.

Today I listened to Anita Rani’s audiobook which I loved, and it did make me miss some home cooked food though. But it also made me think of breaking boundaries and barriers and why its so important to encourage people to do so. Nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself. Its so easy to say the words but its true. We’re often discouraged from pushing these boundaries, I definitely was and ignored the people who told me I couldn’t do it which got me the label as being a rebel. You dont have to want to do a polar expedition, I understand that’s not for everyone. I didn’t even know anything about the polar world until two and a half years ago. You can do whatever you want, everybody starts somewhere.

Talking of pushing boundaries, I would like to dedicate this blog to my niece and nephew. Simran is my 10 year old niece and my pulk (sled) is named after her. Karanveer is my 2 month old nephew and my skis are named after him. Me and Simran regularly have our little adventures together and this is the same, she’s outside the tent waiting for me every day and she’s with me every step of the way. I can’t wait to start my adventures with Karanveer too!

That’s all from me tonight. Thankyou.

You can see my live location and listen to my audio updates here.

Hi Everyone, I cant believe I have been out here for a whole week. This is definitely the longest I have ever been alone and not seen anyone else. I skied for 11 hours today which is the furthest I’ve done so far. I wont be going for longer than this as I still need to find time for my tent admin, melting snow, eating my food and of course sleeping.

Visibility was good again today and once I’d taken a bearing on my compass I was able to use my shadow for navigation. I used full length skins at the start of the journey for more grip as there’s a lot of height gain in the first degree and last night I put my half skins on. Skins are a carpet like material that I screw into the bottom of my skis to help me grip to the snow with one leg and glide with the other.

For this blog I would like to say a huge thank you to Maj Gen Lamont Kirkland and everybody from Team Army. Maj Gen Lamont Kirkland is one of the best LinkedIn connections I have made, you may get a few more LinkedIn requests after this Sir! I also want to give a mention to Catharine Moss from Team Army who has been amazing, she created my flag, logos and so much more! They are a fantastic sponsor and I feel privileged to have them on board. So thankyou very much.

You can see my live location and listen to my audio updates here.

Hi everyone reporting in from day 6. Good visibility again today but pretty windy which made it feel a lot colder. Skied for 10 hours today and enjoyed my pork pasta freeze dried meal this evening. I’m working in nautical miles out here and I’m travelling south in degrees of latitude towards the south pole. The south pole is 90 degrees south and I’m travelling 10 degrees in total to get there. It doesn’t sound that much when I break it down that way. I’ve just made it to 81 degrees south, so that’s my first milestone so just 9 degrees to go. Each degree is split evenly into 60 nautical miles which is an easier way for me to break down the distance.

Today I was listening to my Bhangra music on Spotify and it made me think of my Punjabi roots and all of the things I love about them and how proud I am of them… I also want to thank Diljit Dosanjh and Jay Sean for keeping me going today, some great tunes on my playlist!

Ok, I will check in tomorrow. Bye!

You can see my live location and listen to my audio updates here.

Hi everyone. I’m on day 5. All good so far, still have good visibility which is great although I did feel like I was climbing up a never-ending hill for 9 hours. I was listening to music for most of the day and just daydreaming. Today I was thinking about my journey to this point, the fact that I had this idea 2 and a half years ago when I knew absolutely nothing about the polar world. I created the name Polar Preet 2 years ago, my partner created my website, it was really hard getting support at the start which is why I’m so grateful that I have it now. I spent so much money, all of my money plus my life savings on a lot of the training and all my leave on the training and it was really tough at times but it was all worth it because I’m actually here now. You would be amazed at what you can achieve if you believe in yourself. .

And finally I want to give a shout out to the following schools: Sam Proctor and year 6 at Stanley Primary School, Karen Ancill and year 6 at Waterside Primary School in Hythe, Southampton, year 5 at St Wystan’s which is my niece’s school and year 7 at Repton which is my little sister’s school. I know some of you are learning about Antarctica so I hope you enjoy following my journey! When I get back next year, I’ll be travelling around to different schools for 4 months to talk about the expedition and hopefully inspire the next generation. Thank you to Regional Command for organising all of this ready for when I return back to the UK.

That’s all for tonight.

You can see my live location and listen to my audio updates here.

Hi everyone. Checking in from Day 4. I had good visibility again today which was great. I basically ski for 90 minute intervals then I take a break. I’m taking it one day at a time, I find thats an easier way to break up big challenges. I’m feeling good so far and still enjoying my own company which is helpful. Also, on day 2 I found the Covid mask that I was given at Union Glacier in my pocket. It made me laugh, because after weighing each gram in of all of my kit I still have that Covid mask in my pocket. So i’ve decided to name him Miles which is what my partner Dave wants to call the dog we dont have yet. So it’s me and Miles on our way to the south pole together.

This post is for Global Telesat Communications (@globaltelesatcomms) who have supplied most of my comms kit which are really key pieces of equipment. I have a Satellite phone which I use to make these daily calls, I have family listening to these voicemails and then updating my social media so I can’t see all of your messages until I’m back. My Iridium Go is what I’m using to send photos back. I also have an InReach which is being used as my tracking device and I also have 2 Garmin GPS devices where all of my waypoints are stored and I get my bearings and distance from these devices.

That’s all for tonight, ill check back in tomorrow.

You can see my live location and listen to my audio updates here.

Hi everyone, just checking in for day 3. Still feeling good, its getting winder now and I find myself gripping tightly onto my items. The last thing I want is anything to get blown away by the wind, like my down jacket that I put on every time I stop for a break. I dont stop for more than 10 minutes at a time as it just gets cold. The tent also takes a little bit longer to put up in the wind and as soon as I’m in the tent its time for my admin. Melting snow so I can have water and cook my food, doing my daily check-in calls, any personal and kit admin and go to sleep.

I want to thank a few people from the Army who’ve been fantastic with their support. Specifically, Col Neil Wilson, Col Chris Coates and Lt Col Dougie Peters, who has now retired and Mike Fisher. They have all been so helpful and I want to say thank you for all of your support. And a special thank you to Adventure Training Group which is an incredible organisation that assists adventure training and expeditions like this across the British Army. Huge thanks from me.

That’s all for tonight.

You can see my live location and listen to my audio updates here.

Hi everyone, checking in from day 2, all going well so far. A lot of elevation in this bit of the journey but im getting through it. Completed just over nine hours today, wind was coming up from the South West so I had my hood up with my fur ruff to protect my face. There are a few waypoints that are relatively close together to follow in this first part and thats to avoid crevasses. To navigate I take a bearing from my GPS and I use my compass. I have a map too but that’s just so I can visualise where I am.

I want to say a huge thank you to my expedition manager, Louis Rudd. I first met Louis two years ago and I have just learnt so much from him. I just want to say thank you for all of your support and advice, it is so great being on the ice at the same time as you. Louis is also on the ice on the Hercules Inlet to South Pole route but he’s about 5 days ahead. Although I haven’t seen any trail mix for me to follow yet so I’ll keep looking out for that!  

Thats all for tonight!

You can see my live location and listen to my audio updates here.

So I’m on day 1. I cant believe I’m finally on the ice and I have started the expedition.

The Twin Otter (plane) dropped me off around 4pm and I just did a few hours today. I weighed my Pulk just before leaving and its 87kg. Conditions were windy but visibility was good today.

I’ll be dedicating each blog to someone and this one goes out to my Baba Ji (my Grandad), who lived an incredible long life up to the age of 99. He moved to the UK when I was born and raised me. He always made me feel just as important in a community where I sometimes felt as though I was less. I always used to think he looked like an Indian Santa Claus, he had crystal blue eyes, a white beard and the best heart. Thank you Baba Ji for letting me know that I was just as important. I hope you’re watching down on me for this journey. That’s all for tonight.

You can see my live location and listen to my audio updates here.