In 2026, a Massachusetts woman skied 700 miles to the South Pole alone, without support; she finished the frozen crossing in exactly 57 days

Monet Eliastam set off from Hercules Inlet on the edge of Antarctica on November 23, 2025, beginning her solo ski journey to the South Pole. She had to carry her food, shelter and equipment on sledges for 57 days on the Antarctic ice before reaching her destination on January 18, 2026. With this accomplishment, the Massachusetts native became the first American woman to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole. According to the Boston Globe, Eliastam had spent nearly three years preparing for this expedition.A 700-mile journey across AntarcticaTravelling from the Ronne Ice Shelf across the Antarctic plateau towards the South Pole, Eliastam followed the Hercules Inlet route. The route is commonly described as around 700 miles, though Barnard College reported Eliastam’s completed distance as 702 miles. This difference only reflects the use of a rounded distance in coverage of the journey instead of a fundamentally different account of the expedition.Eliastam had to carry the provisions and equipment needed for survival on this quest. The combined weight of her pulk-sledge was around 250 pounds at the start of the journey, making each day’s progress physically demanding. Her every day routine included walking, eating, breaking camp, skiing for most of the day, and setting up shelter again when her day was done under the continuous polar sun. As per Barnard College, she usually skied for approximately 10 to 12 hours a day.In addition to the distance, the Antarctic environment posed further challenges. Eliastam encountered whiteouts, which made it hard to see sastrugi, ridges of wind-shaped snow, and powerful katabatic winds that sweep down from the continent’s high interior. On difficult days, uneven terrain and poor visibility prevented her from making further progress in her journey.Nearly three years of preparation were put into the expeditionAn alumna of Barnard College, Eliastam started preparing in earnest in 2023, mixing strength training with workouts that involved cardiovascular exercises designed to replicate the effort of hauling a heavy sledge. One interesting part of her training included dragging two large tyres across the beach and forest trails in North Shore, Massachusetts. The intention behind this particular exercise was to prepare her for dragging her supplies over Antarctic terrain.Her preparation also included a month-long expedition in Greenland with a group. She also had solo trips in Norway and Minnesota as part of her regimen. These experiences were instrumental in the development of skills for cold-weather travel, winter camping and managing equipment in remote conditions. The Boston Globe reported that the final stretch brought its own psychological strain during her South Pole expedition. On the 45th day, Eliastam navigated a landscape that was marked by prominent sastrugi and whiteout conditions. She had covered less ground than she had initially hoped. In her later accounts, she described feeling overwhelmed by the slow progress.What “solo” and “unsupported” mean in this expeditionThe terms “solo” and “unsupported” describe the conditions faced by the Massachusetts resident in her journey on the ice. She skied by herself and carried her own supplies without getting any resupply or physical assistance along the route. Though, this does not mean that the expedition had no logistical arrangements or emergency safeguards. Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE) organised the drop-off and operated within the wider expedition system. Eliastam maintained communications with them during the crossing. On January 18, 2026, Eliastam reached the South Pole after 57 days on ice. The Boston Globe reported that people came out of a tent and cheered as she arrived, before continuing to the ceremonial pole surrounded by flags.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.