The world at their feet

Skiing to the South Pole, rowing the Atlantic, riding across Patagonia and scaling Mont Blanc - meet four female explorers who are blazing a trail

- Written by Tessa Waugh

THERE IS a specific image that comes to mind when you hear the word 'explorer'. A lean and sunburned man with chiselled features and impressive crow's feet. His eyes focused on the next mountain summit or polar horizon.

But in the future people might hear the word 'explorer' and summon something different: a woman skiing at speed through one of the harshest climates on the planet or a student rowing alone across the wild expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Women are forging their way convincingly into this domain, bringing fresh perceptions about adventure and all that it involves.

Captain Preet Chandi, known widely as 'Polar Preet', is a prominent explorer with a clutch of firsts to her name. In 2022 she became the first Asian woman to complete a solo expedition in Antarctica. In 2023 she broke Guinness World Records for the longest solo unsupported one-way polar ski journey for a woman and also the longest solo unsupported one-way polar ski journey overall. Later that year she returned to Antarctica and achieved the solo female speed record, skiing from the edge of the landmass to the South Pole.