After years of training, a British adventurer says she's ready to travel across Antarctica with only her skis to keep her company.
Felicity Aston is preparing to ski across Antarctica alone in a quest that could make her the first woman to conquer the 1,700-km expanse.
The 33-year-old's original plan was to cover the vast distance in 70 days but unpredictable weather and flight delays have already thrown her off schedule.
"It seems that one of the biggest challenges of this trip is going to be actually getting to the start point," Aston told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.
For now, Aston bides her time at a base camp at Union Glacier in Antarctica where she said she spends her time re-checking her equipment and anticipating the journey ahead.
"I no longer have 70 days, but I still feel that I can get it done in the time I've got left," she said in a phone interview.
Aston will start her journey at the Ross Ice Shelf near Antarctica's Leverett Glacier. She intends to ski up the glacier and through the Transantarctic mountains before climbing onto the Polar Plateau and heading for the South Pole to stock up on supplies.
From there, she plans to continue across the plateau to the coast of Antarctica, at the edge of the Ronnie Ice Shelf.
If she makes it there, Aston will become the first woman to traverse Antarctica's sprawling white landscape alone.
"There is a bit of anxiety because the season in Antarctica where it's possible to travel is finite," she said.
Aston, originally from Kent, England, pointed out that travelling in Antarctica is usually dependent on a number of outside circumstances.
Regardless of how well prepared someone may be, she said trips are still contingent on having the right weather and proper support.
Having the appropriate supplies helps too, Aston added.
"I have my food, I have my fuel…there isn't anything like books or no sort of luxury items," she said. "If I'm carrying it, it's because I absolutely need it."
Aston has been organizing daring expeditions for the last decade, leading the first British women's crossing of the Greenland ice sheet. A year earlier, she was part of the first all-female team to complete an endurance race across the Canadian Arctic.
