Aneela Rose Svalbard Documentary 2026
A solo journey into the High Arctic
This is a short film from my time in the world’s most northern permanently inhabited place, just 600 miles from the North Pole.
It is also considered the fastest-warming place on Earth, with temperatures rising seven times faster than the global average.
I travelled there alone during the polar night season, when the sun doesn’t rise for months and everything sits in a constant striking blue light. It changes how you think, move and experience the environment. And while I was there, I borrowed a barbell from the world’s most northern public gym and deadlifted on snow in –23°C, simply out of curiosity to see how the extreme cold would affect my lifts.
I went there for silence and to be in white space, and this film shows what I saw and how it made me feel. And to show my children what’s possible.
This is the start of me exploring more of the polar world and sharing as I go, through my social media, journal and community talks.
This is a short film from my time in the world’s most northern permanently inhabited place, just 600 miles from the North Pole.
It is also considered the fastest-warming place on Earth, with temperatures rising seven times faster than the global average.
I travelled there alone during the polar night season, when the sun doesn’t rise for months and everything sits in a constant striking blue light. It changes how you think, move and experience the environment. And while I was there, I borrowed a barbell from the world’s most northern public gym and deadlifted on snow in –23°C, simply out of curiosity to see how the extreme cold would affect my lifts.
I went there for silence and to be in white space, and this film shows what I saw and how it made me feel. And to show my children what’s possible.
This is the start of me exploring more of the polar world and sharing as I go, through my social media, journal and community talks.
Aneela Rose Svalbard Documentary 2026
A solo journey into the High Arctic
Svalbard – February 2026
78° North, the world’s most northernmost permanently inhabited place.
The High Arctic – 600 miles from the North Pole.
This was the decision to go alone. At –20°C to –30°C, Svalbard was quiet, remote and demanding. I went there to test myself, to face fear head on, trust my preparation and prove to myself that I could cope calmly and deliberately in the most extreme environment, without relying on anyone else. It wasn’t about adventure. It wasn’t a holiday. It was about bravery, self-trust and choosing to go anyway. As far as I am aware, I am the first British mum with South Asian heritage to venture solo to Svalbard, and to powerlift on the snow!
Tromsø, Norway – March 2025
69° North, inside the Arctic Circle.
This is where it started. In -5C to -10C, Tromsø was my first real taste of the Arctic. It showed me what it feels like to be cold, out of routine and slightly out of your depth. And, how much mindset matter when comfort disappears. It stayed with me. And it’s what led me further north. Tromsø showed me what was possible. Svalbard was the moment I chose to find out for myself.
Learning Through The Unknown
I push myself out of what feels normal and into situations I’ve never been in before, not to prove anything, but to learn.
I want to understand how I respond under pressure.
How I cope with uncertainty.
How far my physical endurance can go and what happens emotionally along the way.
I’ve learned that I only really grow by doing things I’ve never done before.
Visibility Matters
As a British South Asian mum, travelling solo to places like the Arctic isn’t something I grew up seeing reflected back at me.
There are very few visible examples of women like me choosing solitude, extremity and silence, especially without explanation or permission.
That absence has stayed with me.
So, I stepped into it.
What Polar Environments Teach Me
Not to be the first but to learn
