Ice Maidens show high endurance

Two women who were part of an all-female team that made history earlier this year by crossing the Antarctic unaided have revealed medical tests showed the extraordinary endurance of their bodies.

Six women from the British Army, known as the Ice Maidens, became the largest all-female group to ski coast to coast on the frozen continent.

They completed the 1,000-mile journey in extreme conditions, pulling an 80kg sledge behind them in temperatures as low as -42C for 62 days before crossing the finishing line at Hercules Inlet in January.

The full results of medical tests using data gathered from the women during their expedition are expected to be published in the coming weeks.

Early indications suggest a “high female biological capacity for extreme endurance exercise”.

Results from previous expeditions – mostly made up of men and civilian women – found participants lost a considerable amount more body mass than the Ice Maidens.

The Ice Maidens who, in January, became the largest all-female group to ski coast to coast across Antarctica