When Polar Preet came to Outward Bound

She’s skied solo to the South Pole. She’s planning a North Pole expedition for 2026. She’s smashed records, broken barriers, and quietly rewritten the idea of what an adventurer looks like.

So when she walked into our Loch Eil centre this summer, boots on, and ready to get stuck in... It was never going to be just for a photo op. It was to meet young people in the middle of their own adventure.

Pinnacle, meet Preet

Halfway up a mountain, in the drizzle and midges, a group of tired young adults were halfway through The Pinnacle, Outward Bound's most demanding course. Nineteen days off-grid. Wild camping, cooking on stoves, climbing rock faces with cold hands and heavier packs than they arrived with.

Preet met them mid-expedition, perched on a ledge after a multi-pitch climb.

They didn’t need inspiring speeches. They needed snacks and someone who understood what it feels like to do something hard and keep going.

“They were muddy, tired, challenged - and still full of determination,” Preet said later.
“I wanted them to know that growth doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from doing hard things, together.”

She gets it. Because she’s lived it.

Summit Speaker Series: More than a talk

Back at base, over 50 young people gathered for our Summit Speaker Series—a space to hear from people who’ve been tested, stretched, and changed by adventure.

Preet stood in front of them and told the truth. Not just about the miles of white nothingness on her solo ski to the South Pole—but about the mental grit it took to get there. The self-doubt. The planning. The fear.

She spoke about setbacks that don’t make headlines. About the strength it takes to keep going when nobody’s watching. At times, you could’ve heard a pin drop. Except it was Outward Bound, so probably a spork.

Into the water

The next day, Preet joined a Summit group for an afternoon of gorge scrambling.

For most people, that’s stepping well outside their comfort zone. For Preet, a former British Army Captain turned polar explorer, it was more like switching terrain.

She didn’t hesitate. In full waterproofs and full spirit, she waded in. Climbing, sliding, splashing through icy streams alongside a group of teenagers who, only a week ago, hadn’t imagined themselves doing anything like this.

No big speeches this time. No ceremony. Just wet shoes, shared laughter, and the kind of leadership that happens when you show up, get drenched, and keep going anyway.

Shared ground

Preet didn’t come to Loch Eil to perform. She came to connect with staff, with instructors, and most of all with the young people at the heart of what we do.

She left soaked, muddy, and smiling. And we’re pretty sure she’ll be back.

What we saw in the glen, in the gorge, and during her talk was someone who shared our belief that young people are capable of more than they know. That challenge is where character is shaped. And that anything is possible.