Auckland firefighter to battle blizzards on the South Pole with Olympian – صحيفة الصوت

From raging fires to battling blizzards, Laura Andrews is set for a scene change as the south Auckland firefighter gears up for Antarctica.

Andrews, 28, is one of three young explorers who have been chosen to take part in the Antactic Heritage Trust’s Expedition – its destination one of the coldest on the planet, the geographic South Pole.

She’ll join Mike Dawson, a two-time Olympian and current coach of the New Zealand canoe slalom team, and Norwegian intelligence analyst Marthe Brendefur.

The expedition will kick off in November this year, which means Andrews is set for three months of long hours dragging tyres to build strength, in preparation for lugging a sled up to 10 hours a day.

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“It’s quite a big undertaking, so they rely on a lot of our baseline fitness,” said Andrews on the training ahead.

“I really enjoy the physical and mental challenge it presents, to see how you work and tick.”

Andrews currently works as a firefighter at Auckland Airport, she’s been there seven years and provides medical response as part of her job. She was drawn to the role of helping the community, but was inspired by the “incredible athletes” around her.

“[My colleagues] were doing all these amazing adventures, so to step myself up and push myself further for my biggest adventure yet is really cool.”

Already an experienced skier, the journey will involve 40 days of cross-country skiing – a “completely new” experience to Andrews, despite having hit the ski fields since she was young.

The process to be selected for the expedition was stringent, Andrews said.

It required a written application with questions about how you contribute to a team and your physical capabilities, before a series of interviews to ensure she was the right person.

“It’s that kind of place where it’s at the edge of your curiosity. You hear about people going there, the wild extremities and the rawness of it – so to go is the opportunity to a lifetime.”

The expedition will celebrate 150 years since the birth of legendary polar explorer Roald Amundsen, who was the first to reach the South Pole back in 1911 with his party.

Heritage Trust’s job is to maintain buildings such as Scott’s huts – the original huts used by Robert Scott’s party when they died during their second discovery journey of the continent in 1912.

Olympian Mike Dawson has previously been involved as a mentor with Heritage Trust, he will be tasked with capturing the team’s experience for a documentary on the expedition.

The canoe coach said he’ll be looking forward to highlighting the importance and fragility of Antarctica through film.

“I’m really humbled going alongside Mark [Dawson] and Matr [Brendefur],” said Andrews.

“I look forward to learning from them. But I reckon it shows you don’t have to be an Olympian to do it, just a normal person with the right kind of dedicated effort.”