In February and March 2009, the expedition spent two weeks on the Hardangervidda in Norway - Europe’s largest mountain plateau. Here, they not only met each other for the first time but they learnt how to ski and how to survive in an extreme winter climate. It marks the first stage of their preparation for Antarctica.

This amazing team of women represented both their nation, and the Commonwealth, on an incredible journey to the South Pole at the end of 2009. These women are:
Stephanie Solomonides, 26, from Cyprus
Barbara Erefua Yanney, 29, from Ghana
Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu, 38, from India
Sophia Pang, 36, from Singapore
Najibah Al-Sufri, 25, from Brunei
Charmaine Tate, 33, from New Zealand;
Kim-Marie Spence, 30, from Jamaica;
Helen Turton, 43, from the United Kingdom (reserve member).