BREAKING THE ICE

She wanted out within three hours of starting, but Kiwi adventurer Hollie Woodhouse says traversing Greenland has changed her life forever.

Back in May, Hollie (34) set off to pull a sled 560km across the ice cap after she was selected to be part of the Inspiring Explorers’ Expedition.

Retracing the footsteps of intrepid Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen, Hollie tells the Weekly it was far harder than she imagined.

“It was the toughest thing I have ever done mentally or physically by far. I was at my limit for a lot of the expedition.”

Unseasonal storms meant the trek took longer than expected, with the team finishing just in time to catch their plane out.

“It took us 29 days − five days longer than we thought it would. We had completely run out of food. The conditions were harsh... I found it really tough pulling the sled, which made for a definite extreme challenge.”

But despite gruelling days, Hollie says she learned valuable lessons about herself.

“Greenland changed me massively. I think being at my limit for so long, there’s so much to say about the human mind and being in a strong mental state. You can push yourself and then you can keep pushing yourself even when you think you can’t.”

She says her body altered so much during the trek she barely recognised herself at the end.

“I’d lost about 8kg and my body had changed dramatically over those days... I was a stranger in my own skin. I didn’t stop eating for six weeks when I got home!“

Though, in the midst of harrowing moments, the beauty of the icy continent dished up highlights along the way, and none more arresting than on the home stretch.

“The ultimate highlight would have been the final day when we woke up to blue skies.

It was super-warm, very near the coastline, and the ice was perfect and our skis were lighter.”

Now back home, she’s had a rest and is already looking forward to her next challenge.

“I’m doing the Coast-toCoast with a good friend from the UK. I gave myself a bit of a break between training, but having done a big event like that it’s nice to have something else to look forward to.”