Delhi girl becomes first Indian to ski to South Pole

Reena Kaushal, an outdoor instructor on Thursday became the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole.

Reena Kaushal, an outdoor instructor on Thursday became the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole.

HT Image

38-year-old Kaushal, settled in Delhi, made the historic ski-run as part of an eight-woman Commonwealth team which crossed a 900 kilometre Antarctic ice trek to reach the South Pole to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Commonwealth.

"I'm incredibly proud of the team and I think ... if we can do this then you can do anything that you like to and that's the message that we really want to send to everyone," team leader Felicity Aston said in a message from South Pole

Skiing eight to 10 hours a day, Kaushal along with her mates from seven other countries covered the frozen southern continent to the pole in about 40 days. Each skier towed a sledge with food and gear weighing some 80 kg.

The skiers, Kaushal said in a statement online, braved blinding blizzards, jet speed winds blowing in excess of 130 km an hour, hidden crevasses and temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius to reach their "destiny".

"Seven women at the bottom of the planet with biggest smiles on our faces right now. It feels great to be here," team leader Felicity Aston said in a statement.

During their 40-day ordeal the skiers skied past the polar ice cap's mountain passes and fields, experiencing daylight for 24 hours.