Major Nics Wetherill
Nics is a General Practitioner trainee, based in Portsmouth. She earned an Army Medical Cadetship while studying at University of Southampton Medical School, and it was here she first thought of taking an all-female team across Antarctica.
After commissioning from Sandhurst in December 2012 she was posted to Germany where she swapped her alpine racing background for Nordic skiing, and ended up captaining the Army Medical Services Ladies’ Biathlon team. Meeting Nat Taylor along the way, she realised this was the partner she had been waiting for to fulfil the Antarctic dream and encourage girls to take up adventurous training.
Nics is particularly focused on promoting the benefits of physical activity and encouraging girls and women of all ages to stretch themselves both physically and mentally.
Major Nat Taylor
Nat is a Regimental Medical Officer and General Practitioner at 1 RIFLES, based in Wales. After commissioning from Sandhurst in 2010 Nat has served in Germany, Afghanistan and the UK. Passionate about teaching she is also a Battlefield Advanced Life Support Instructor.
Nat trained to become a cross-country ski instructor while studying medicine and has been fortunate to captain the Army Medical Services Ladies’ biathlon and Nordic ski team.
Outside of work Natalie competed at the Adventure Racing World Championships with Team Endurancelife and won the 6633 Arctic Ultra Marathon in 2015. In her other role as Vice President of Girlguiding Breconshire, she is passionate about encouraging young women to exceed their potential.
Major Sandy Hennis
Sandy is a Reservist officer with 37 Signal Regiment based in Redditch, and works in an employer support role. She started her Army career as a radio technician and reached the rank of Corporal before attending Sandhurst and commissioning back into the Royal Signals. After completing tours of Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan she left the Regular Army to join the Reserves in 2014.
Sandy splits her time between leading overseas expeditions, outdoor instruction and team building/leadership development. She has participated in military and civilian expeditions, climbing and mountaineering in the UK, Spain, the Alps, Nepal, USA, Norway and Peru.
She enjoys anything which takes her outdoors and can’t turn down a challenge, which has led to many adventures from traversing the Cuillin Ridge to completing the Devizes to Westminster kayak marathon, and more recently competing in the Original Mountain Marathon (OMM). Sandy can usually be found living out of her camper van, wandering in the hills with her dog Bracken or riding the local mountain bike trails.
Captain Zanna Baker
Zanna is a Cultural Specialist at the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit (DCSU). Prior to commissioning from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst into the Royal Artillery, she was a jack-of-all-trades, dabbling in art and geography, then specialising in music and languages.
Not liking to sit still for long, she has travelled extensively, including longer periods spent in Nepal and the Middle East. Her life goal of walking to the South Pole was inspired at the age of 18 by a two month mountaineering and scientific expedition to South Georgia. Not only did this develop a dream of hers, she realised the extent of her love for the outdoors in spite of the austere environment, which ultimately led to her joining the military.
Lieutenant Jenni Stephenson
Jenni is a Battery Operations Officer at 32nd Regiment, Royal Artillery based in Larkhill, Salisbury. She graduated from Durham University with a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Philosophy and an MA in English Literary Studies. She went on to work as a Literacy Coordinator at Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, before joining the Army.
Jenni commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in April 2015, and in August 2016 completed her first IRONMAN with fellow Ice Maiden Nics Wetherill. In her downtime Jenni loves reading and spends many weekends in Henley on Thames, training and competing for Upper Thames Rowing Club. She captained the 32nd Regiment Nordic Ski Team in winter 2016/17.
Sophie Montagne
LSgt Sophie Montagne is a section commander in the Honourable Artillery Company Army Reserves Regiment at the weekends, and during the week works in marketing in Central London.
Sophie learned to ski with the Army’s Officer Training Corps at university and has been obsessed with it ever since. She is an Army ski instructor and has raced for her regiment, breaking the national speed limit when she hit 73mph in the downhill. Sophie has a degree in Spanish and lived in Spain and Mexico before heading to London and starting her career as a journalist.
A move into marketing in 2011 coincided with her joining the Honourable Artillery Company in search of a physical challenge that would offset the desk job. She loves anything to do with the mountains and is a keen trail runner, completing the Jura Fell Race and running 60km in 24hrs in the Thunder Run 2016.