Staying Connected With Home

Due to the extreme, off-grid nature of this trek, Preet wanted a way of checking in with those back home every day, as well as posting regular social media updates every time she set up camp at the end of a hard day’s skiing.

We were happy to have supplied her with the means to do this by providing her with an Iridium Extreme 9575 satellite phone, an Iridium GO!, and two Garmin inReach GPS trackers.

This invaluable equipment provided Preet with reliable, efficient satellite connectivity, and the peace of mind for friends and family that she was able to transmit her GPS coordinates if there was an emergency.

The Iridium GO!, a WiFi hotspot that gives a smartphone global connectivity levels, allowed her to share daily photo uploads so people could follow her journey online, and the GPS trackers not only monitored and recorded her progress, but allowed her to get her bearings and better determine her distance travelled.

Preet may have conquered the South Pole, but she is far from finished in her quest to inspire people to achieve great things. She says, “This expedition was always about so much more than me. I want to encourage people to push their boundaries and to believe in themselves, and I want you to be able to do it without being labelled a rebel. No matter where you are from or where your start line is, everybody starts somewhere.”

We are excited for what’s next for Preet and we hope to continue to support her in more of her epic adventures.

Preet’s Journey

Preet Chandi is an ex-army physiotherapist from Derby UK, and made history in Antarctica by becoming the world’s first woman of colour to complete a solo trek across the baron, icy continent, five days ahead of schedule, and fully equipped with satellite communications gear provided by GTC.

Battling temperatures as low as -50°C, she skied 700 miles across Antarctica, reaching the centre of the South Pole in 40 days. Not only did Preet endure freezing temperatures, but the wind speeds swept through at up to 60mph, and whiteouts made navigation extremely difficult, all while pulling a 90kg pulk (a type of Norwegian sled) across sastrugi, wave-like ridges of snow caused by the driving winds.

Starting on 24th November at Hercules Inlet, Preet wanted to complete her trek in 45 days, but ended up finishing five days early by covering an average daily distance of roughly 17 miles. Her rations included freeze-dried pasta meals and graze bags of nuts, raisins, and chocolate.