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<div><strong>Spoiler alert: </strong>I DID IT!!!! On January 18, 2026, I became the FIRST American woman to ski solo &amp; unsupported to the South Pole.
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<div>I'm still fundraising to cover the logistical costs of this insane feat (did I REALLY do that?!?!?) so if you're motivated to donate, it's definitely not too late :)
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<div>For the past three years, I have been preparing for (and <a href="https://instagram.com/monet.izabeth" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sharing online</a>!) the greatest adventure of my career. My training has taken take me across the world to our planet’s toughest terrains to prepare me for the wildest continent of them all: Antarctica.
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<div><strong>What does it mean to ski to the South Pole?</strong>
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<div>I will spend upwards of 50 days pulling a 250 lb sled (otherwise known as a pulk) on cross-country skis from the edge of Antartica to the geographic South Pole. Doing it solo &amp; unsupported means that I will be A) alone and B) unable to resupply along the route. I'll set off with everything I need to survive in my pulk.
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<div><strong>Why in the world would you want to do this?</strong>
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<div>A few years ago, I read about Preet Chandi becoming the first woman of color to achieve this exact feat. I had never heard of this expedition before that moment. Reading about her achievement sparked something deep inside my brain. I tried to shake it from my mind because, well, it's scary as hell! I've heard Antarctica described as the most unforgiving place on earth. And yet...I just couldn't stop wondering WHAT IF....
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<div>At some point, I knew the only thing stopping me from doing it was the fear that I might fail at it. And that's just not a good enough reason in my book.
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<div>Two years ago, I took the first step by signing up for a polar expedition training course in Svalbard. That April, I spent three days in the backcountry of this island in the Arctic, skiing, pulling a pulk, freezing my ass off and testing my limits. Could I actually do this for 50 days straight? Yeah, I believe I really freaking can.
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<div>I knew that not THAT many people had done it before. I only realized that summer that I would be the first American woman to do so.
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<div><strong>How are you gonna train for this?</strong>
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<div>Training for an expedition of this magnitude includes physical, mental &amp; skills prep. My three day "polar expedition training" was extremely helpful in that it taught me what I didn't know yet...and, trust me, it was a lot.
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<div><em>I need to know my gear inside out</em>––how to fix it when it breaks, how to use it with my eyes closed, how to prepare for every possibly eventuality.
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<div><em>I need to have glacier skills,</em> including how to rescue myself after falling into a crevasse, how to climb a glacier safely with crampons &amp; a pulk, how to traverse an ice field safely.
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<div><em>I need to have critical First Aid knowledge</em>. I'll have a safety system in place but if something happens to me, I'll be the only person around for a good chunk of time, best case scenario, before help arrives.
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<div><em>I need to be strong as a fucking ox.</em> I'll be skiing through a wide variety of conditions for up to 12 hours a day, pulling a pulk that will top out at 200lbs. Doing this once would be tiring, doing this every day for 50 days will be the hardest physical challenge of my life.
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<div><em>I need to have top notch mental health. </em>Or at least coping mechanisms in place. People who have done this before say the mental aspect is one of the hardest. To be entirely alone with your thoughts for over 40 days. To struggle through whiteout conditions where the tips of your skis are the only thing leading you through the storm. It can be a lot to handle.
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<div><em>I need to have navigational skills. </em>Those whiteout conditions mentioned above? I need to know where I'm going when I can't see anything.
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<div>And here's the real kicker. <em>I had to cross Greenland before I could cross Antarctica. </em>
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<div>ALE (Antarctica Logistics &amp; Expeditions) is the company in charge of, you guessed it, logistics and expeditions in Antarctica. I have to apply to them in order to get permission to do this expedition, and they'll provide support along the way including flights to/within Antarctica, housing down there and a dedicated support team while I'm on the expedition.
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<div>For good reason, they require you complete a smaller polar expedition before attempting the BIG one. So, last May I spent 30 days skiing across Greenland with a group of seven fellow adventurers.
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<div><strong>The Timeline</strong>
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<div>January 2024: Glacier Skills Course
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<div>February 2024: Training in Minnesota, including a 1-week solo trip in the Boundary Waters Wilderness
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<div>May 2024: Greenland Ice Cap Crossing
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<div>February 2025: 2-week solo expedition in Norway
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<div>Nov-Dec 2025: Solo South Pole Expedition
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<div>And stuffed into the crevice of everyday within that timeline: a fuck ton of training.
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<div><strong>How are you gonna pay for this?</strong>
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<div>All in, it's gonna cost upwards of $120,000. That's a lot of money that I don't have.
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<div>I’m reaching out to sponsors and will put as much of my own money into this as needed. There’s no way I’ll let a small thing like 100k (LOL) stop me from making this happen.
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<div>GoFundMe is one aspect of my fundraising plan. Whether you've seen my work, one of my online shout-outs or you literally just stumbled onto this through an internet black hole, I am so glad you're here. GoFundMe allows adventurers like myself to create a community of supporters so that I can continue to push boundaries and test the limits of the human experience.
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<div><strong>How will my donation be used?</strong>
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<div>The base cost of the South Pole expedition is 90,000 USD. This goes straight to ALE, the sole company managing private expeditions in Antarctica. This will cover my flights from Punta Arenas to my starting point in Antarctica as well as my return flight from the South Pole. This also includes emergency rescue service, resupplies in case I need anything while on the ice and daily security check-ins.
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<div>On top of this base cost are the following costs:
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<li>specialized polar equipment
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<li>personal insurance
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<li>pre &amp; post expedition travel &amp; accommodation
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<li>shipping costs for equipment to reach Punta Arenas
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<div>Anything raised beyond my budget will go towards supporting locally-run initiatives where I've done the majority of my training: Nepal, Greenland &amp; the United States.
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<div>My expedition is not for the faint of heart. I'll be facing extreme temperatures, wild storms, and the unforgiving terrain of Antarctica as I push my limits to achieve this incredible goal. It's a journey that will test my physical and mental resilience like never before, and I want to take you all along with me on the journey.
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<div>When you join our GoFundMe community, you're helping to make this history-making expedition happen.
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