Polar Preet: British Army captain passes halfway point of Antarctic expedition
The British Army's Captain Harpreet Chandi has passed the halfway point of her Antarctic expedition.
Capt Chandi is attempting to become the first woman of colour to cross Antarctica unsupported – with the halfway mark coming on day 21 of the expedition.
In updates posted on her website, the officer said she had had a "tough day", adding that she is burning nearly double her daily calorie intake on the expedition.
She also remarked on why her being a woman of colour doing this trek matters, saying she had been told by others: "Having somebody that looks like you, which is different from the image you expect is so powerful."
In an update posted the previous day, Capt Chandi added she "couldn't see anything" before cloudy conditions provided "a little bit of visibility".
"It's been really difficult to see the ground this afternoon though, which makes progress difficult," she said.
Watch: Army's Captain Harpreet Chandi on not seeing another person in Antarctica.
"Quite windy for the next few days, I think approximately 30mph winds at the moment."
Capt Chandi added she had made it to Thiels Corner – marking the halfway point of her expedition.
"There's a fuel depot here and a toilet as well," she said. "I didn't use the toilet though, I didn't want to get used to that little bit of comfort of sitting on a toilet rather than digging a hole in the snow and squatting."
Capt Chandi said she could also "see the mountain range to the West of Thiels too".
"It's great to actually ski towards something, I haven't seen any features like this since the start," she said.
As well as facing the harsh conditions of Antarctica, including temperatures of -50°C and wind speeds of up to 60mph, Capt Chandi must pull all of her kit on a sled.
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