Arctic trek proves ‘anyone can be extraordinary’
A 48-year-old woman takes on one of the world’s most extreme endurance challenges to prove that “ordinary people can do extraordinary things”.
Rebecca Vials, from Weston-super-Mare in north Somerset, is the only woman in a group of explorers from around the world attempting to travel 120 miles (193km) across Svalbard in the Arctic in eight days.
Vials, head of data and analytics at Yeo Valley, dragged weighted sleds to Weston-super-Mare beach to prepare for the challenge.
“I love seeing how strong I can be,” she said. “There have been times in the past where I have struggled with my own mental health and it’s about being able to overcome that.”
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Starting April 20, Vials will trek in the snow for seven hours a day and camp in remote conditions, all while dragging a sled with his tent, food and clothing.
She said temperatures would drop as low as -25C, but could feel colder than that “as the area is very exposed to strong winds”.
“I’ll be on the glacier so there might be a crevasse here and there, and on the coastal areas [there is] sea ice for navigation.
The explorer has been training for nine months, dragging 40kg (6.3kg) sleds around her waist across the sand for up to four hours a day.
“It helps because I’ll be dragging a sled of similar weight the entire trip,” she added.
Vials was inspired to take on the challenge after completing a solo walk from John O’Groats to Lands End in 2024 to raise money for the Samaritans.
She began taking on extreme challenges after struggling with her own mental health.
“Maybe about 15 years ago it hit its lowest point,” she said.
“I learned that you have to take a positive step every day.
“Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
“Bear Watch”
Svalbard, which lies halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, is home to more polar bears than humans and Vials said a member of the expedition group would be monitoring the bears at all times.
“This is polar bear country, this is their territory and we are guests on their territory,” she told BBC Radio Bristol.
Vials said she took on the challenge of collecting data on human endurance in extreme environments.
“A lot of data concerns athletes or soldiers and mainly men,” she added.
“So I wanted to focus on how to test how the same type of data capture can be used for a middle-aged woman.
“Ordinary people can do extraordinary things and it shouldn’t all be down to elite athletes.”
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