2,700 km, 110 days: Akshay Nanavati's journey who is in the middle of a solo mission across the loneliest continent

A former US marine, author, entrepreneur and a speaker- 40-year-old Indian American Akshay Nanavati is never afraid of a challenge. He is among less than 50 people who have managed to successfully ski up the treacherous Axel Heiberg glacier in Antarctica. And now, this Marine veteran is in the middle of a 110-day journey across the frozen continent.

On November 8, Akshay Nanavati set off to embark on a 110-day solo coast-to-coast ski expedition across Antarctica, covering 1,700 miles while dragging 400 pounds worth of supplies behind him. If he succeeds in his mission, Akshay Nanavati will become the first human to complete an unsupported, solo, 2,700-km, coast-to-coast, ski crossing of the coldest, driest, windiest and loneliest continent on the planet, reports ET.

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Akshay Nanavati's Antarctica mission

Throughout this treacherous journey he’ll will be skiing up to 12 hours a day with temperatures as low as -40°F, what adventurers call 'manhauling'. He’ll rely solely on his training, equipment, and mental fortitude to complete this grueling trek across the frozen continent. No dogs, no kites, only him and one of the harshest environments Mother Nature could offer.

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“Antarctica is one of the most hostile, unforgiving environments on the planet, the coldest, driest, windiest continent,” Nanavati told Muscleandfitness.com

“Why the hell would I do this, right?” he asks with a smile. His response: “You have to remember that you’re seeking out hard because there’s value in hard.”

Akshay Nanavati's crowdfunding for Antarctica mission

Born in Mumbai and raised across Bengaluru, Singapore and the US, Akshay Nanavati has led an eventful life. Nanavati’s secret is a philosophy he calls ‘Fearvana’.'Fearvana' is the idea that fear, stress and anxiety “are not your enemy” and can instead be transformed into “your greatest allies” for success.

Akshay Nanavati’s ‘fearvana’ epiphany came after years of struggle — a painful bout of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when he returned home after a seven-month deployment in Iraq, as well as a battle with depression and addiction.

Akshay Nanavati's wife Melissa has been incredibly supporting in his journey. The duo got married a year and a half ago. Melissa helped him train for the harsh environs of Antarctica.

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The couple managed to $1.1 million through crowdfunding for the mission. "Thank you so much to all of you who contributed to the crossing fund Together, we raised the full $1,127,389," he wrote in an Instagram post.

According to Melissa, the trek across Antarctica is the culmination of his long journey from "a kid who was afraid of the darkness, to what he is now. He's been preparing for this for four years."

From travelling to Greenland, Norway and Iceland, Akshay Nanavati stayed in a cabin near a frozen lake in Alaska and skied with sandbags attached. In preparation for this feat he’s done darkness retreats, a Buddhist practice.

Nanavati's aim is not just the milestone. As Melissa says, "The goal is to expand people's belief of what is possible. Everybody has an Antarctica to cross."

Despite a number of physical limitations, including a blood disorder that transports less oxygen through his body, in November 2021, he embarked on a ski trip up the Axel Heilberg glacier in Antarctica, following in the footsteps of Roald Amundsen, the first person to reach the South Pole.