TWO Hampshire Scouts are set to battle freezing temperatures and months alone when they attempt to ski to the South Pole next year.

The Hampshire Scout Explorers (HSX) Antarctica team, made up of 24-year-old team leader Joseph Doherty and 27-year-old Oliver Robinson, will take on the 700-mile expedition over two months in November next year, before kite-skiing back – all unassisted.

Facing temperatures as low as -50C, the team will be hauling more than 100kg of food and equipment across one of the toughest environments on Earth.

The pair will have to consume more than 6,000 calories a day just to survive.

Joseph, a former Sparsholt college student and manager at an outdoor centre, said: "We will be alone if anything goes wrong. There's a big chance something could go wrong but have a tried to mitigate the risks.

Oliver, an environmental consultant, added: "My biggest fear is having negative thoughts on the route that we are not going to make it. You have to be strong mentally."

Originally a team of three, 24-year-old Matthew Prince, an activities manager at Marwell Activity Centre near Winchester, had been planning to join Joseph and Oliver on the expedition, but a broken leg sustained during a training trip to Austria means can no long go.

Instead, Matthew, also a former Sparsholt College student, will be helping the pair fundraising. He said: "To have a accident was a bitter pill to swallow. I spent a week in hospital in Austria. I thought just a couple of weeks and I'd be fine but it took me a while to get my head around it."

Speaking about the expedition, he added: "HSX has been to every continent but Antarctica, and we just wanted to go. It's a great way to inspire young people.

"The biggest challenge will be the financial one – it's costing £65,000 per person to fund the trip. We can do all the training, but without the money, we won't be going anywhere.

Money will also be raised to help the Motor Neurone Disease Association raise awareness of the suffering the disease causes.

The team will also be assisted behind the scenes by Jamie Kelly, leader of HSX, and Russ Parke HSX founder