felicityaston
explorer . speaker . author
Writing and Photography
Felicity is an established freelance travel writer. Her work regularly appears in a number of UK magazines accompanied by her own accomplished photography. Her first book, 'Call of the White' was published in 2011 and was selected as a finalist in the internationally respected Banff Mountain Book Competition. Her second book 'Alone in Antarctica' is due for release in August 2013.
Alone in Antarctica (Summersdale, 2013)
"What would it feel like to be out there alone in that empty vastness? Just before midnight on 24 November 2011, 34-year-old British woman Felicity Aston is left completely alone on the coast of Antarctica. The isolation is instant and devastating. Only three people in the world have crossed Antarctica alone. The first two were men and both Norwegian. Felicity was to become the third. Within days, frozen into her facemask and reflecting on what had drawn her to such a place, she was battling desperate weather as she towed her heavy sledges. Every morning she wakes believing she cannot face another day as the expedition becomes a race against time to reach the coast before the last flight out. This gripping and inspirational account of personal endurance shows what you can achieve when you grit your teeth and decide just to get through the day ahead."
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Call of the White: Taking the World to the South Pole (Summersdale, 2011)
"Could YOU Ski to the South Pole? That was the challenge that British adventurer Felicity Aston put to women from around the Commonwealth as she set out to create the most international all-female expedition ever to ski to the Pole. The team would not be experienced explorers but 'ordinary' women who wanted to inspire others to follow their dreams or make a change for the better in their lives. She received more than 800 applications. 'What is skiing?' asked someone in Ghana.
At the close of 2009, Felicity led a team from places as diverse as Jamaica, India, Singapore and Cyprus - some of whom had never even seen snow or spent the night in a tent before joining the expedition - on one of the toughest journeys on the planet."
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Landrover Onelife: Poles Apart
"It's a little known fact, but the South Pole also happens to exist in a small village on the west coast of Ireland. Tom Crean, an unsung hero of early exploration, is the man responsible for this anomaly, but why? Onelife sent Felicity Aston, a veteran of several Antarctic expeditions, to find out more." read more
Geographical Magazine: Conflict in the Chaco
"A semi-arid expanse of dense thorn scrubland the size of Poland, the Chaco region of Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina isn't exactly what you would call prime real estate. Yet more than 100,000 people lost their lives when Paraguay and Bolivia went to war over it. And now, as Felicity Aston discovers, a new dispute is brewing." read more
The Guardian: My Travels
"The leader of a record-breaking expedition to the Antarctic recalls how she nearly didn't make it to the South Pole." read more
Outdoor Pursuits: Lakelander
"I was soaked before I got anywhere near a canoe. Standing at Windermere Station, the rain fell relentlessly in sheets - as it had done for the past week. Not a great weekend to go on a watery adventure but I was about to spend three days in the forests of the Lake District National Park learning how to paddle an open deck canoe. Half expecting the course to be full of experienced backwoodsmen in camouflage gear, I was relieved when two lively Australian women appeared on the platform with me, one carrying an umbrella and the other a pair of Caribbean themed wellies." read more
Outdoor Enthusiast Magazine: Interview with Benedict Allen
"Benedict Allen's misadventures read like a Hollywood script. He has been shot at by drug hitmen, robbed and abandoned by guides, poisoned, chased by hostile tribes and, most recently, stranded without his dog-team in the Siberian Arctic. "Someone once actually took the time to go through my history and worked out that I've faced certain death six times," he admits, "but I don't really dwell on these things." read more
Felicity's first book, 'Call of the White: Taking the World to the South Pole' tells the story of the Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition which took place at the end of 2009.
Feedback for 'Call of the White':
This is a pacy and uplifting read and one that should sit on the bookshelf of anyone who dares to take an expedition into the wilderness - Chris.
I am half way through and LOVING it!! I only started yesterday and confess to barely being able to put it down, even though I know the end - Sue.
Just reading your book and have been in tears twice and i'm only half way, bloody good read and very inspiring - Phil.
I really enjoyed your book. Really un-put-down-able read and an incredible expedition. I had no idea you were so nuts. If I was ever to be mad enough to want to go anywhere that's freezing cold with no shops you're the person I'd like to be lead there by! - Jo.
I loved how you replayed your thought processes on tough decisions. I loved how you could be hard and yet human. A woman with a woman's strength. Congratulations! This world needs more woman like you who can not only succeed at the difficult task you have chosen, but who can also very eloquently communicate the process of that accomplishment. You are an inspiration! - Ruth
You write really well and it's a smashing story - Nick.
I bought your book & can't put it down ! I'm fascinated with polar regions & expeditions, but every book or programme I've read or watched is always with men so its much more refreshing to read your book - Lisa