Wimbledon women join Ice Warrior Project to conquer Northern Pole of Inaccessibility

Jolanta Krzyzostaniak, 45, and Anna Macphie, 29, are under intense training for the Ice Warrior Project, which involves an 800-mile trek across the Arctic to reach the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility.

Not only will they gather evidence to help scientists understand climate change, but they will undergo tough mental and physical challenges as well.

Jolanta mum’s died last year after a five-year battle with motor-neuron after which she said she would never take any one day for granted, while Anna is a conservationist and girl guide leader who wants to set an example for young girls.

Expedition leader and world-renowned polar explorer Jim McNeill, who has twice failed in expeditions to reach the pole, said “I’m delighted to see ordinary people from all walks of life committing themselves to achieving something quite extraordinary. I look forward to training them to become competent polar travellers.”

The Northern Pole of Inaccessibility is said to be harder to reach than the geographical North Pole because it is the furthest point from any land in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.

The woman are among five Londoners taking part in the expedition, in February, when temperatures can be minus 50 degrees Celcius and there is little daylight.

They will each take on at least one of four 20-day legs on the 800-mile journey, which involves trekking across sea ice.

They will collect crucial datasets for the scientific community including new data about how the sea ice breaks up.

Fellow expedition member Claire Bernard, from Stockwell, said: “We all come from different backgrounds, work in different sectors and have no prior experience in polar regions. We are training really hard to be up for that challenge.”

Partners include NASA, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) scientists, The Met Office, The Scott Polar Institute, The Norwegian Polar Institute and the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute