Briton becomes first woman to ski across Antarctica alone

BUENOS AIRES — British adventurer Felicity Aston completed her crossing of Antarctica on Monday, becoming the first woman to ski across the icy continent alone.

She did it in 59 days, pulling two sledges for 1,084 miles from her starting point on the Leverett Glacier on Nov. 25.

“!!!Congratulations to the 1st female to traverse Antarctica SOLO.V proud,” her Twitter message said.

Ms. Aston announced her achievement from Hercules Inlet on Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf, where she waited alone in her tent for bad weather to clear so that a small plane could pick her up and take her to a base camp.

Other expeditions also have gathered there, preparing for the summer’s last flight off the continent.

Ms. Aston also set another record: the first human to ski solo, across Antarctica, using only her own muscle power.

A male-female team already combined to ski across Antarctica without kites or machines to pull them across, but Ms. Aston is the first to do it alone.

A veteran of expeditions in sub-zero environments, Ms. Aston, 34, worked as a meteorologist in Antarctica and has led teams on ski trips in the Antarctic, the Arctic and Greenland.

Her journey took her from the Ross Ice Shelf, up the Leverett Glacier and across the Transantarctic Mountains to the continent’s vast central plateau, where she fought headwinds most of the way to the South Pole.

Then she turned toward Hercules Inlet and a base camp where the Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions company provides logistical support to each summer’s Antarctic expeditions.

She arranged in advance for two supply drops so that she could travel with a lighter load, one at the pole and one partway toward her final destination. Otherwise, her feat was unassisted.

Ms. Aston tweeted that she’s been promised red wine and a hot shower after she gets picked up. “No plane tonight but I have my last Beef and Ale Stew to enjoy for my final evening alone - yum!” she wrote.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.