Antarctica 2011: Felicity Aston Radio Interview

One of the Antarctic skiers that I've been following closely this year is Felicity Aston, who is attempting to become the first woman to make a solo and unsupported traverse of the continent. Yesterday, Aston was interviewed on National Public Radio (NPR) here in the states, giving a large audience an introduction to polar exploration.

In the interview, which you can listen to here, Felicity talks about what it is like to travel through the Antarctic on foot, dragging her gear and supplies behind her on a sledge. She touches on dealing with the weather conditions, what the landscapes are like, and much more. Overall, a very solid interview, with good questions asked by the host.

Felicity notes that she has now been on the ice for more than 20 days and that she is roughly a degree and a half from the Pole. That means she should arrive at 90ºS sometime early next week. Of course, that is just the first waypoint for her, and after a short break, I'm sure she'll be back on the trail and headed towards Hercules Inlet. Overall, she's been making good time, but she still has a very long way to go before she's done.

Follow Felicity's progress on her Twitter feed, which features regular updates from Antarctica.