Teenage adventurer Jade Hameister at the South Pole with the sandwich she made to respond to her online trolls. Although she completed the feats with her father, Paul Hameister, and a support crew by her side, Jade said there were long stretches skiing in single file, with only her thoughts for company, especially after her music stopped working on the ninth day of their most recent 37-day trek. "I enjoy [the solitude], it's something you don't get at home. A lot of the time I am trying to zone out. It's not easy but when you know how to do it you go to another place," she told Fairfax Media on Tuesday. Jade's adventurers have also made her into something of an overnight young feminist role model. In 2016, after her trek to the North Pole, Jade gave a TEDX Talk, after which some (assumedly male) trolls commented she should "make me a sandwich", a common sexist insult used against high-achieving women.

Jade Hameister on her South Pole trek, which she completed on January 10, 2018. On her South Pole trek this summer, Jade said she and her team joked about actually making a sandwich, and, in the spur of the moment, she did just that. "Tonight (it never gets dark this time of year) I skied back to the Pole again... to take this photo for all those men who commented, 'Make me a sandwich', on my TEDX Talk. I made you a sandwich (ham & cheese), now ski 37 days and 600km to the South Pole and you can eat it xx," she wrote on her social media pages with a photo of the sandwich. Jade Hameister: 'I enjoy [the solitude], it's something you don't get at home. A lot of the time I am trying to zone out.' Little did Jade realise the act would become such a huge part of her story. The post went viral after it was liked and shared by thousands of people and has been picked up by media worldwide.

"I didn't think it was going to be as big as it has. I took the photo for me, our group had been talking about it as a joke. I only read those comments on my TEDX talk a couple of weeks before I left. They don't piss me off they motivate me. It's something I wanted to show everyone," she said on Tuesday. Although Jade didn't set out to become a feminist leader, she's enjoying the opportunities her profile is giving her to spread a message of "bravery not perfection", especially to young people. "It feels really good ... To now be where I am and have a lot of young girls know who I am and what I'm doing is where I want to be. To inspire them to chase a dream they want to chase," she said. On her website, she also writes: "Instead of focusing on how young women look, [I want] to shift the focus to what our bodies and minds can do and discover the incredible possibilities that we are capable of contributing to this world." With years 11 and 12 ahead of her, Jade said she's unsure what she'd like to do after school but her adventures have given her a thirst for knowledge about climate change. She also has a book about her adventures in the works.

Jade said she experienced the effects of global warming first hand, including two weeks of delays before her North Pole trip – ice breaking up meant their plane couldn't land – and "really warm weather" in Greenland. "I feel like I am one of the only people from my generation to have had these experiences. I'm not an expert but I'm learning as much as I can," she said. Jade, who trekked to Everest Base Camp at age 12, said adventuring is in her blood – her father has conquered the seven summits and her 14-year-old brother, an animal lover, did a stint last year in the Amazon jungle and is returning this year for more. Loading

"Mum comes on a few family adventures. She doesn't like the cold or the jungle ... but she's super supportive. She doesn't sleep much [when we're away]," Jade said. And on travelling with her father for weeks in the wilderness? "The last trip we had our moments in the tent. It's tough being stuck with anyone let alone your dad for 37 days but it made us closer. We've had that experience that no one else has had," she said.