U.S. Marine Vet Akshay Nanavati is just a few days deep into a challenge many would describe as “impossible,” and maybe even “nuts,” yet at the same time “incredible.” On Nov. 8th, Akshay 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, pushing the boundaries of human endurance.
No dogs, no kites, only him and one of the harshest environments Mother Nature could offer.
It might sound like hell for most people, but for Nanavati it’s all the reason to do it anyway. He welcomes suffering, one might even say he actively seeks it out. He says it’s part of his journey to earn this life he’s been gifted.
The expedition, dubbed “The Great Soul Crossing,” is the culmination of four years of intense preparation for what will most likely test his physical and mental limits like never before. Plus, if he succeeds, he’ll break several Guinness World Records.
“Antarctica is one of the most hostile, unforgiving environments on the planet, the coldest, driest, windiest continent,” Nanavati described. Throughout this treacherous journey he’ll will be skiing up to 12 hours a day with temperatures as low as -40°F. He’ll rely solely on his training, equipment, and mental fortitude to complete this grueling trek across the frozen continent.
“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.”
His polar mentor Lars Ebbesen underscored that “this is a huge physical undertaking that no one has mastered and may seem like the obvious biggest hurdle. But the mental part is by far the biggest challenge. It is a phenomenal balancing act.”
Besides the extreme weather conditions, Akshay Nanavati will face another challenge: complete isolation for nearly four months. “Other than one corner of Antarctica, which has penguins, there’s no life in the rest of it,” he explains. “So the proportions of the journey, I will be geographically the most isolated life form on the entire planet.”
It won’t be the first time he faced complete solitude in isolation. In preparation for this feat he’s done darkness retreats. “You can’t see your hand in front of you, it’s pitch blackness,” he shares as he would be sitting completely alone in a small dark room for 10 days.
With 24/7 distractions and notifications around us in the modern world, sitting in the dark all alone would be a definite “no, thanks” for many people, even for an hour. Imagine 240 hours. But again, Akshay uses that “hell” to peel down into the deepest pockets of his mind and “just be still with the mind.”
Akshay Nanavati
Akshay Nanavati’s Transition From the Battlefield to the Edge of Earth
He wasn’t always the fearless explorer he is now. After joining the Marines at 18, Nanavati was deployed to Iraq, where he spent seven months in one of its most dangerous roles: walking ahead of vehicle convoys to locate explosives before they could detonate.
“Many times, there were experiences where I should have died,” Akshay reflected. “In Iraq, my vehicle once drove over an active bomb that, for some reason, didn’t explode. My friend’s vehicle wasn’t as lucky—he drove over a bomb, and it exploded. So, I use that as fuel. It’s about honoring their life and their legacy, remembering that I’ve been gifted this life. It’s on me to earn it.”
The high-stakes environment and constant threat of danger took a toll, and upon returning home, he battled PTSD, depression, and alcoholism—struggles that took him to the brink of suicide. He credits his recovery to a relentless pursuit of studying neuroscience and psychology to heal his own brain and exploring the limitlessness of human potential in every way possible.
“I used to be terrified of everything, so I went to confront all my fears. I’ve been rock climbing, skydiving, cave diving, caving, all kinds of outdoor sports, went to war with the Marines,” he says, adding that “my journey through all these experiences has led me on this voyage of exploring the depths of the human soul to see what we can find behind the masks that we put on in conventional society in the mundane, to fit in, to put on this image. But out there on the edge, when you’re in the depths of solitude or suffering or struggle, those masks are shed off and you start to unearth something deeper in the soul.”
Emerging from these trials, Akshay developed his philosophy of Fearvana—which is also the title of his first book—the idea that fear, pain, and suffering can be catalysts for growth and transformation. This mindset has been critical in preparing him for the extreme isolation and challenges of his Antarctic expedition.
Can he pull this off? Akshay realizes the intensity, insanity, and difficulty of what he’s about to take on. Yet when we asked what he was looking forward to the least, he said, he’s looking forward to it all—the challenges, the pain, what the silence reveals, the suffering. But he did admit, “I’m most scared about is not completing the journey. I’m terrified of failure, just the fear of, ‘Can I pull this off?’
He adds: “We’ve given so much to this last four years. She (his wife) has given so much to it. I’ve given so much to it. People around me who care about me have given so much to it. We’ve committed our soul for this. And there’s a fear that what if I don’t pull it off? But that’s also really good fuel on those hard days. Remembering that, all right, you better push. That’ll also be valuable fuel.”
Akshay Nanavati
How Akshay Nanavati’s Trained For Antarctic Expedition
Akshay Nanavati and his wife Melissa live in Arizona. It’s needless to say that much of the training through these four years was not done on the snow. While he’d spend months in northern climates, such as Alaska, and in countries like Iceland, Norway, Greenland, and Antarctica, most of his training was done in the desert. He simulated sled pulling by dragging multiple tires looping around a Scottsdale park for hours on end—in scorching, triple-digit heat—during the summer.
Nanavati also worked with a certified strength and conditioning specialist Greg Pignataro who incorporated many exercises that could likely be described as “unusual.”
“Our major goal in the gym was to strengthen his connective tissue (tendons and ligaments). These incredibly dense structures are vitally important for joint health, which Nanavati particularly needs while doing repetitive exercises for weeks on end,” Pignataro explained.
A major focus of his program was strengthening connective tissue behind and around the knee. “Since heavy sled places such an extreme demand on the quads, we needed to make sure his hamstrings were beastly strong as well,” Pignataro shared. Otherwise, he adds, Nanavati would be quite likely to develop tendonitis at some point during the crossing.
Whether it was tire dragging or stair climbing with an altitude machine to simulate the oxygen deprivation, it was important to keep his heart rate in zone 2 during endurance training. The reason for this was so his body would be primarily utilizing fat as a fuel source.
“On the ice, he’ll be eating a high-fat diet because fat provides significantly more calories per gram than carbohydrates,” Pignataro noted. “His sled would’ve been unrealistically heavy if he ate a high-carbohydrate diet. This meant he needed to keep his heart rate in the zones that didn’t use significant amounts of carbs as a primary energy source. By focusing on this during training, he was able to significantly increase the capacity of the intensity his body can handle at lower heart rates.”
In Norway earlier this year, he trained with Ebbesen to master his ski technique. ”Most neglect it [the importance of ski technique] as they think it is just walking,” Ebbesen said. he noted that “good technique will save enormous amounts of energy, and he needs to save and harvest whenever and wherever he can.
This project is all about maximizing the last part when the sled gets lighter, and the terrain helps as he descends from 2,800 meters. Up until about half way through, it’s an uphill battle till the South Pole. “If he hadn’t had the mental strength to hold back in the first part and trust his skills, he will not have the strength to ski well. And if he does not ski well, he will not reach the speed he needs to obtain the long daily distance necessary without sacrificing sleep,” Ebbesen explained.
Akshay Nanavati
What Was Akshay Nanavati’s Nutrition Preparation?
Akshay Nanavati is planning to eat up to 5,800 calories daily to combat the 8,000 to 10,000 kcal he’ll burn each day. Every meal and snack was carefully curated to meet specific macronutrient content that’ll fuel him day after day. They also taste good.
He even had a custom supplement created that includes a wide range of vitamins and micronutrients.
“He’ll lose about 50 pounds,” his wife Melissa said. “We’ve had him do inBody tests to make sure his body fat percentages are high, because the body needs something to burn.”
“Training for polar travel is a very unique thing, because you need to train strength to be able to drag a 400-pound sled, have endurance to do it for 10 to 12 hours a day, and do it all while you’re fat,” Akshay said.
Akshay Nanavati’s Mental Health Preparation
The mental monotony will be one of the hardest parts, looking at the same white snowy scenery over and over again. There will be no stimuli by which the mind can get distracted. Ebbesen described it to be an important mindset piece “not to expect the trip to reward you.” He explained that such a “landscape can so easily drain you as it (seems at first) not to give anything back.”
Akshay Nanavati says breaking each day down to smaller chunks will be key to stay sane and not let his mental chatter take over.
He said he will ski in 66-minute shifts, then stop for a quick three-to-five-minute break then keep going, so then all he thinks about is making it through the next shift. “It tremendously helps to make your world smaller,” he said, mentioning that there’s a psychological trick behind those 66 minutes. “It feels in your mind as if it was a one-hour shift, but after 10 shifts, you actually have gotten 11 hours.” It’s a clever way to sneak in an extra hour of work each day.
Inevitably, his mind may try to turn against him with accusations that “you’re not good enough,”and he expects it. But he knows that it’s nothing more than fuel to keep going. In those times he’ll find gratitude that he gets to experience this. “I get to choose my suffering,” he says with strong belief.
Akshay Nanavati
Akshay Nanavati’s Recovery and Adaptation Plan
Besides getting adequate amounts and quality of sleep, Akshay also has a handful of mobility methods to stay on top of to ensure optimal recovery. For over a year now, Akshay’s had a comprehensive mobility routine that includes small movements targeting each joint. “It follows the principles of shortening the targeted muscles, then gently lengthening them, and including rotational movement where appropriate,” Pignataro explained, adding that “this helps ensure adequate blood flow to all areas of the body, which will be vital for recovery.”
While at home, Aksay’s also used an electrical device called to help with recovery, pain, and address muscles with a less-developed neurological connection. To ensure his body is in a state of readiness to take on this expedition, they also had several tests and lab work done over the past year to monitor Akshay’s physical health from blood work to metabolic efficiency to VO2 max.
The Great Soul Crossing has required extensive financial planning and preparation, with an overall cost of over $1.1 million. Initially, the cost estimate was around $750,000; however, the logistical complexity and unique challenges of this never-before-attempted expedition significantly raised the budget. The expenses cover everything from specialized gear to support from the Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (ALE) team, which includes a skeleton crew stationed at Union Glacier specifically to monitor Akshay’s safety throughout his journey.
The funding has been sourced through both personal and public contributions, with an incredible network of supporters rallying around Akshay, including friends, family, and strangers inspired by his mission. Hundreds of people, from doctors and nutritionists to sponsors, have lent their expertise and resources, ensuring that Akshay Nanavati has the physical, nutritional, and medical support required for this expedition.
Melissa has been preparing for this separation through her own version of mental training. She’s been using meditative practices and shifting her perspective to view this time apart as a unique opportunity for personal growth. She’s committed to supporting Akshay from afar while taking on her own challenges, calling this her “great soul crossing” in a symbolic reflection of her husband’s journey.
Akshay Nanavati was already three years into his training when they met. Two months into dating they were engaged and got married shortly after. They’ve spent the majority of this one year together 24/7, so being apart for nearly four months will be another challenge for both of them.
“I know there’s going to be missing, and the longing for her is higher than ever when you’re out there,” Akshay admitted.
Melissa said one of the hardest feelings that keep coming up is resistance, the feeling that “it’s not fair that we have to be apart for this long.” But then she reminds herself that “we have the next probably 50 years together, so this three months is a blip in time.”
However, they’ve prepared for this too. “We’re pre-recording each other messages for every seven days,” they said.
Being a fresh couple, hiccups arise, but they’ve been tackling them as a team. “No matter what the issue is, whether it’s funding, whether it’s last minute travel, it’s you and your partner against the issue, not you against your partner,” Melissa explained, sharing how they come together to solve an issue as opposed to let it become a fight, which they promised to each other they wouldn’t do, ever.
Akshay Nanavati
How Akshay Nanavati Plans To Keep In Touch
While Akshay Nanavati is crossing the frozen expanse of Antarctica, those back home, including his family, friends, and supporters, can stay connected to his progress in real time. Equipped with a GPS tracker, Nanavati’s location will be mapped on his website, allowing anyone to follow his route across the continent.
He will periodically share voice updates. These brief recordings will capture his thoughts and experiences in Antarctica, giving everyone a rare window into the mental and physical endurance required for such an extraordinary challenge.
