Kolkata, Jul 18: In a fillip to extreme outdoor sports in this part of the world, KolEevent, a Kolkata based agency, is all set to send two Indian girls as part of a five-member all women expedition team to the South Pole this December.
As Madhabilata Mitra, renowned supermodel turned outdoor sport fanatic from Kolkata and Tanvi Buch, an architect and photographer, set their eyes to the Southern axis of the planet, it marks a quantam leap in the genre of extreme outdoor sports undertaken by Indian women .
“The expedition will inspire a whole new generation of women from our country to take on more challenges. Tanvi & Madhabi shall be the face of India in global extreme sports from now. We expect that women of all ages will become motivated from their stories to push their own boundaries and contribute even more to their families, communities, society and the world!” , said KolEevent Director Ankita Mitra as their reason of associating with the project.
The expedition titled ‘Polar Maidens’ is about ordinary women achiving extra ordinary.This will be the first expedition with regular non-athlete women as old as 74 years & even a breast cancer survivor who are embarking on an journey together that can get as extreme as possible.
While Tanvi will become the youngest Indian to reach South Pole should she complete the expedition successfully, the team leader Janice Meek (74) will be the oldest woman ever to reach south pole, making it her 5th Guiness World Record.
“Being the driest, windiest & coldest place on earth, South Pole is the Holy Grail of explorers! If, as a result of this expedition, more people take on sports in general and outdoor activities, this will simply enhance the wellbeing of the individuals. It will also measure and map impact of mental and physical exertion in extreme conditions and scale recovery capacities of Women across a range of age group,” said Meek.
During this expedition, Janice, along with her team of accomplished and inspiring women, will be finishing the journey started by renowned explorer, Tom Crean, one of the most inspirational men from the last century.
The six- member team will fly to the city of Punta Arenas which lies on the western shore of the Straits of Magellan and is the southernmost city on Earth, in the first week of December. When weather conditions allow they shall begin the real adventure from the Union Glacier Camp which is only accessible by air.
After a few days preparing and becoming acclimatized to the sledges and tents, the team will depart Union Glacier on the first day that weather and logistics permit to begin the trek which will lead the team to the Geographic South Pole. Average temperature shall be Minus 40oC during this 10-12 days expedition by Six Women – aged 24 to 74.
