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Training for the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition

The Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition will see eight women ski to the South Pole, setting off in December this year to represent their countries and the Commonwealth

http://www.commonwealthexpedition.com/

 

Images

  • The training camp in Hardangervidda is based at 1245m above sea level. It is the highest and largest mountain plateau in Europe. Temperatures can reach below minus 20c. A rare break in the clouds means visibility is good. In the Antarctic, the women will have to brave temperatures of minus 40 degrees c as they ski through blizzard, dragging up to 20kg of kit, food and fuel.
  • Three of the women load their sledges with wood on a mini expedition in Norway. Their training will involve increasingly heavy loads as they gain more confidence on skis and build up their strength. They are kitted with GPS navigation devices so that they can find their way back to the camp. At times, visibility can be down to a few metres, with no demarcation between sky and land.
  • The women pitch tents in preparation for their first night sleeping outdoors. They have been given instructions about how to keep their bodies warm and will get into their sleeping bags with a supply of chocolate and with lamps strapped to their heads.
  • The shelter has to be put up, despite blizzard conditions. Felicity Aston, their team leader says Antarctica is a place in which human beings are vulnerable and nature dominates. Being at the mercy of the environment is a powerful realisation that ultimately we depend on it and need to protect it. Many of the women who have volunteered to take part are passionately concerned about climate change and believe their journey will highlight how fragile Antarctica is and how it affects weather patterns in their own countries.
  • In the morning, inside the tent, the team light a stove and melt snow for drinking water. Their supplies for the 800km journey across Antarctica will be limited to lightweight, dehydrated rations, which they will have to carry.
  • Inside the warmth of the hut, the women celebrate Brunei’s 25th National Day. The team members from Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana and Jamaica will be the first person from their nation, male or female to ski to the South Pole. Those from India, New Zealand and Singapore will be the first woman from their country to make the symbolic and inspirational journey to the bottom of the world.
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Shortlisted candidates from Brunei Darussalam, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom train in Antarctic conditions in Norway. For some, it is the first time they have seen snow.

photo : © Victoria Holdsworth / Commonwealth Secretariat

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