Why I’m Hosting a Women’s Only Ski & Sail Voyage to Greenland in 2027

Antarctica has always been my north star. For as long as I can remember I’ve dreamt of visiting the white continent. It’s now the only continent that evades me. For so long though, I believed I would never be able to make it because getting to Antarctica carries a higher price tag than any other continent and I’d never actually met anyone that had been. I also grew up in an environment where a lack mindset was reinforced, although my mother has always believed in me and my wild dreams, anytime I’d ever tell her I wanted to go to Antarctica her first question was “how are you going to afford it?” . So before I could ever even get to the dreamer stage my vision was clouded by doubts.

In the beginning I only knew people traveled to Antarctica on cruises, usually with pre determined itineraries and activities, although this was never my style of travel, I would do anything to visit this vast icy continent. I then discovered there were a few companies running ski and sails to Antarctica and immediately that felt much more aligned and it’s still a huge dream of mine, that has grown even bigger. What if instead of signing up to someone else’s co ed trip, I charter a full ship to Antarctica and host a women’s only ski and sail. That dream is still a few years out though but running a successful Greenland voyage first will be the perfect potion to accelerate this vision. 

Even still though, my Antarctica dream goes deeper. A couple years ago while on a 2 year working holiday visa in Aotearoa, New Zealand, I was working on a kiwi orchard for the full New Zealand experience. It wasn’t the most glamorous work removing tiny baby kiwis from the vine to ensure the remaining ones had the best chance at growing into juicy, round fruits. I learnt a lot during my time on this orchard though, like did you know they have red kiwis now!? I bought a pack in Canada recently and they were absolutely delicious. My favourite part about this role though was that I got to listen to podcasts all day long and they really helped to pass the time during this tedious work. It was here that I discovered the podcast ‘Wild Ideas Worth Living’ hosted by Shelby Stanger and produced by REI. Some of the stories on this podcast were truly inspiring and I couldn’t recommend it enough if you need a little inspiration to see what the human body truly is capable of. There was one podcast that truly changed my life though. It was an interview with Chris Fagan and the story of the time her and her husband embarked on a 900km unsupported ski expedition across Antarctica to the south pole. This was the first time I ever learnt people skied to the south pole but it was like an AHA moment for me. Immediately I knew what I wanted to do in Antarctica. So naturally I went down a rabbit hole, learning what it even takes to ski unsupported across Antarctica for over a month.

The next story I encountered was about Preet Chandhi’s solo unsupported record setting ski expedition to the south pole and suddenly it became more real. Women were already doing this solo. I then learnt about Sarah McNair-Landry the polar queen in my eyes, a fellow Canadian and the youngest person to ski to both the south and north pole. As well as Caroline Cote another Canadian women who skied solo and unsupported to the south pole. For the first time I read so many more inspiring stories of women than men, in fact I could tell you the names of almost every women that has embarked on this adventure solo but I hardly know the names of a single man. There were already women doing the exact thing I wanted to do and it became more real. If they could do it, then maybe I can too. Women don’t get as inspired seeing a male paving the way or embarking on these rugged expeditions because men have been taking on these wild endeavours since the dawn of time from Amunsden to Shackelton to Edmund Hillary but history hasn’t always been so kind to women. 

It’s now become my life’s mission to ski unsupported to the south pole in Antarctica one day. In fact this vision is only just taking shape and it continues to grow into something bigger and grandeur than I could have even fathomed only a few years ago. Of course seeing the 6 figure price tag of this expedition gave me a shock but I’m learning to not worry about the logistics and the how right now. To just give the vision time to breathe and to grow and to know when the time is right, the cards will align in my favour. I’m not in a rush to get there yet because I have some big dreams I want to take shape before I embark on this adventure. Instead I’m learning to enjoy the journey to becoming the girl that ski’s across Antarctica and part of that becoming is exactly what I am building right here through my brand Femme Mountain Collective. 

You see shockingly enough they don’t just let anyone who dreams of skiing across Antarctica the most inhospitable place on earth rock up with a sled and some snacks and take off for over a month on the windiest continent. Before they’ll even consider you, you need a substantial amount of previous polar experience. From my research one of the biggest non negotiable experiences you need before taking on the south pole is a training expedition across the Greenland ice cap. So Greenland has been on my radar for some time as the gateway to my south pole dream and the future training grounds to become ‘Alli the polar explorer’ . In fact I’ve kind of planned my entire 2027 calendar of hosted trips around some polar training missions I hope to embark on.

I’m just the girl with the massive visions and a growing community of women who also share my desires to ski or snowboard in these lesser travelled destinations alongside a supportive, empowering group of women where they to can push their own limits and see whats truly possible. I’m smart enough to not try to handle this all on my own though. I make sure to work with the experts in the industry who have far more experience doing this than me, to bring my visions to life. I’m especially excited for this Greenland voyage as I have partnered with a Canadian based adventure company; Expedition Engineering who have been running ski and sail trips around the world, including to Greenland for over a decade. I am just bringing along the community of incredible woman but they handle everything else from the boat, to logistics and the best part of all, the female guides. 

Unlike my other upcoming trips in 2027 to Kazakhstan which sold out in hours or Kyrgyzstan that sold out in 3 minutes, I’ve had to scrape together every last dollar to my name for a deposit to lock in a boat in West Greenland next year before having sold a single spot. Because without a secured boat my dream of skiing in Greenland is nothing more than a dream. There was a past version of me that would absolutely lose sleep over the fact she’s not even sure where her rent money is going to come from next month but it’s a cumulation of all my past experiences that have gotten me to a place where I believe in this voyage so wholeheartedly, kind of like it’s exactly where I’m meant to go in 2027 and the exact right step in my ultimate dream of skiing across Antarctica. I also believe the right woman will find me when the time is right. I haven’t even opened the sign ups to my community yet but instead I’ve been sharing this voyage through my Instagram stories and with my email list to garner interest and warm them up to the idea of an all female ski & sail to West Greenland. Some truly amazing women have already shown interest and I cannot wait to see who I get to share this dream adventure with. But I’m taking my time to open the sign ups and the price tag doesn’t warrant a 3 minute sell out like Kyrgyzstan. I want to ensure this is the trip these woman want to spend their hard earned money on, and that they can have full trust in me to deliver the ski trip of their lifetime with the community they’re meant to share it with. 

I guess what I’m trying to say is I want to build a brand to be the stepping stones for other women to take on their wildest dreams. We all begin somewhere and sometimes all it takes is seeing one other woman living the life you dream of, to believe it’s also possible for you.

If you’ve read this far, identify as a woman and this West Greenland ski & sail voyage in April 2027 sounds like your dream too, please feel free to reach out to me at femmemountainco@gmail.com . I would love to discuss this trip more with you and ensure it will be everything you’ve ever dreamt of and more.