British-Indian Sikh army officer Harpreet Chandi makes history with solo trip to South Pole

Harpreet Chandi, a British-Indian Sikh army officer made history by becoming the first "woman of colour" to complete a solo expedition to the South Pole.

She began in November last year, when she embarked to Antarctica's Hercules Inlet. Chandi spent the next few weeks skiing solo across Antarctica and announced on January 3 that she had completed the 700 mile trek in 40 days.

She has also been journaling her experiences as Instagram posts.

"I made it to the South Pole where it's snowing," Chandi announced on her blog. "Feeling so many emotions right now... it feels so surreal to finally be here," the 32-year-old, who has adopted the moniker 'Polar Preet', added

 

"Antarctica is the coldest, highest, driest and windiest continent on earth. Nobody lives there permanently. I didn't know much about the continent when I first started planning and that is what inspired me to go there," Chandi had said earlier. She spent two and a half years preparing for her South Pole adventure, including crevasse training in the French Alps and trekking in Iceland. 

"Antarctica is the coldest, highest, driest and windiest continent on earth. Nobody lives there permanently. I didn't know much

The Chief of the General Staff of the British Army congratulated Chandi on the completion of her trek, praising her as an "inspirational example of the grit and determination"