Six British women are aiming to become the first all-female team to ski coast-to-coast across Antarctica – and they set off on their journey this week. We recently interviewed some of the team as they prepared for their expedition.

No team of women, from any nation, has completed this formidable challenge. The Ice Maidens say it “is the ultimate opportunity to show that women have the mental strength and physical endurance to operate in the most hostile environment on earth.”

The Ice Maiden team will cover 1,700km, pulling sledges and battling temperatures of -50°C and wind speeds of over 60mph during their three-month journey. Unsupported, and with only two resupply points along the route, they will carry all the supplies and equipment needed to survive for up to 600km at a time.

The Ice Maiden team are all serving in the British Army or Army Reserve and are following in the footsteps of Felicity Aston’s record-breaking solo Antarctic crossing in 2012.