Kiwi woman bound for South Pole adventure
12 Nov 2009
The first New Zealand woman to ski to the South Pole is due to embark on her epic journey today (12.11.09) as part of an all-female expedition to mark a Commonwealth milestone.
Kylie Wakelin, a 36-year-old pilot from Twizel in the South Island, joins seven other women from around the world for the Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition which will set national and global records and aims to inspire others.
Commonwealth anniversary
The women from Ghana, Cyprus, Jamaica, India, Singapore, Brunei and the United Kingdom will brave blizzards, crevasses and temperatures below -30C as they ski more than 900km across Antarctica to the geographic South Pole.
As well as Wakelin, many of the other team members will also be either the first woman or first person to ski to the South Pole for their country.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth, the expedition aims to demonstrate the potential of greater intercultural understanding and exchange, at the same time highlighting the achievements of women across the world.
Expedition organisers say the team members will return to their home countries as role models to inspire others, particularly women, to reach beyond the expectation of others and follow their own path.
Diverse group
Representing a commonwealth of 52 nations and two billion people around the globe, the expedition team is a diverse group selected from over 800 applicants.
Before joining the expedition many of the team members had never been in sub-zero temperatures, put on a pair of skis or spent the night in a tent.
Wakelin who describes herself as practical, easy-going and a social girl who likes the outdoors, has worked in Antarctica with British surveyors for a season, so says she has some idea of the weather conditions.
She had huge respect for the Antarctic weather and environment and believed it was the white monotony of the landscape that would challenge the team mentally, she said. Support and encouragement within the group would be the key to coping.
40-day journey
The 900km journey from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole will take about 40 days. The team will survive on lightweight dehydrated rations and melted snow.
The women will sleep in tents on the ice at night, and pull sledges containing all the food, fuel and equipment they will need.
Travelling without a guide, the team will need to rely on each other to navigate themselves safely to the bottom of the world.
The women expect to arrive at the South Pole around New Year's Day 2010.
Best foot forward
Kylie Wakelin says she is excited about the "amazing opportunity" and enjoys a challenge especially if it requires hands-on skills.
"I hope that I can put my best foot forward for the 900-plus-kilometre ski trip. It has always been a dream to be part of an 'all women' expedition and I have jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the Commonwealth Expedition because I think it is an excellent way to show how people from different backgrounds when working together can achieve a common goal.
"I hope to inspire women in the 30s-plus age bracket that anything is possible with a dream, a plan and a lot of determination," she said.
Wakelin has asked New Zealanders to toast her on Christmas Day with a nice glass of good New Zealand wine and think of her as she returns the favour by drinking melted ice.
Wakelin and the team members will be blogging from Antarctica daily and their progress can be followed on:
Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition
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