While most of us mere mortals feel a sense of achievement if we make it to the gym twice a week, five women are preparing to tackle something truly awe-inspiring – a trek of more than 700 miles across the Antarctic in temperatures of -50C. And they’ll be dragging sledges weighing up to 100 kilos while battling winds that could reach 60mph or more during their expected 45-day journey to the South Pole.
“We’ll be unguided and have no assistance, no resupply of food or fuel, nothing. Just the five of us skiing for 10 hours a day,” says 37-year-old Nikki Upton of London Fire Brigade.
Together, Nikki, and fellow firefighters Georgina Gilbert, 48, from South Wales Fire & Rescue Service, Becky Hinchley, 31, from Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, and Emily Butler, 32, and 41-year-old Rebecca Openshaw-Rowe, from London, are the Antarctic Fire Angels. Their mission? To challenge stereotypes and empower women.
