A LARKHILL soldier has travelled to Antarctica to take part in a historic three-month expedition.

Lieutenant Jenni Stephenson is one of six soldiers taking part in the British Army's Ice Maiden expedition, hoping to break records by coming the first group of women to trek 1,700km across Antarctica.

Lt Stephenson, a Troop Commander at 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery, said: “I feel incredibly lucky to be part of a team of confident, aspirational and positive women.

"We’ve all sacrificed various parts of our lives to focus on the expedition but the most important part lies in its aim to inspire and encourage other people to find their own Antarctica.

"I hope we can go some way to achieving this.”

The soldiers will use nothing but muscle power to ski 1,700km, dragging a sledge weighing up to 80kg, in temperatures as low as -40°C, with 60mph winds.

The team arrived in Antarctica on November 3 and are expected to spend both Christmas and New Year completing the trek, returning in February 2018.

They were chosen out of 250 applicants who were tested to the limit in the UK and in freezing conditions in Norway, and have spent months preparing by dragging tyres to simulate the 80kg sleds they will take with them across the ice.

The women will ski for between 75 and 90 days, consuming between 4,000 and 6,000 calories per day.