British explorer Camilla Hempleman-Adams becomes first woman to complete solo traverse of Baffin Island

Sky News

31-03-2025

A British explorer has become the first woman to complete a solo traverse of Canada's Baffin Island.
Camilla Hempleman-Adams, 32, pulled a sledge 150 miles in temperatures as low as -40C and winds as high as 47mph.
She finished the trek from Qikiqtarjuaq to Pangnirtung in 13 days - a day ahead of schedule.
The largely uninhabited Arctic island is the fifth largest in the world and is in far northwest Canada - between the mainland and Greenland.
Speaking from the Inuit hamlet of Pangnirtung, Ms Hempleman-Adams said: "I'm feeling pretty exhausted, I have very sore feet, but it's nice to be back in civilisation, just slowly settling back in.
"It's been a really tough two weeks, but an incredible two weeks."
"When you go in by yourself, you just have a mindset to keep going," she said.
"You adapt, you have the mindset that you can't give up. There is no giving up in those conditions."
She admitted she had been looking forward to a hot shower.
Her father, adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams, flew out to meet her at the finish line.
He said he'd been "really, really worried" due to the strong winds - which increase the chance of frostbite.
"Being solo, you've got to be really on top of your game the whole time. If you just lose concentration for five minutes, it's a real problem," he said.
Sir David added: "It's a fantastic advertisement for females. I mean, we are big, ugly and strong, but she's half my weight and did it twice as fast as I did."
Ms Hempleman-Adams also became the youngest British female to ski to the North Pole when she was just 15.