What kind of physical and mental strength do you need to become the youngest woman in the world to ski solo and unsupported from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole?
How do you find the confidence and courage to tackle huge challenges like hauling a 90kg sled for 702 miles into a minus 50C headwind and across crevasses and 6ft high wind-formed waves of snow?
And how can these experiences be transferred to other walks of life to inspire others?
The remarkable Mollie Hughes will soon have the answers these questions. Today, she embarks on the first steps of her greatest challenge yet as she makes her way to southern Chile, and then across the Drake Passage and on to her departure site at Hercules Inlet in Western Antarctica. Skiing eastwards, she will aim to hit the ice on Thursday 14 November and reach the Geographic South Pole by New Year’s Day.
photo courtesy of CRUK by Lesley MartinMollie has already proven her extraordinary resilience and courage – in 2017 she became the world’s youngest person to have successfully climbed both the north and south sides of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.
When successful, Mollie will be the youngest woman by four years to achieve the feat of skiing solo and unsupported from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. The current record for a woman is held by the Swede, Johanna Davidson, who was 33 years-old when she completed the same route solo and unsupported. To date, only six women and 17 men have ever completed this route on skis, alone and without resupply.
photo courtesy of Gore by Hamish Frost
Mollie, who is raising funds for Cancer Research UK and The Polar Academy, secured worldwide publicity following her world-record breaking feat on Mount Everest and now works as a motivational speaker, using her experiences to help and inspire others.
She will return to the UK in early January when she plans to conduct a series of inspirational speaking engagements about her expedition.
Mollie’s talks are backed up with exciting first-hand photographs and videos to make it feel as if you on the expedition with her. In her talks, she shows her audience that they can achieve absolutely anything with the right mix of determination, self-belief and team work. She emphasises why controlling fear and resilience can play an integral part in all of our lives – whether that be on a business or a personal level.
To donate, visit https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/unite/molliesouthpoletrek / #MollieCRUKSouthPoleTrek
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