Freezing temperatures and snowstorms will test the stamina of a Hainault dad-of-two on an epic month-long race to the South Pole.

Daniel Bouskila will spend Christmas and new year crossing snow bridges and negotiating crevasses as he treks 704km across Antarctica.

The 30-year-old, of Hind Close, says he is going for victory as he and friend Oliver Dudley team up against 51 competitors for the Extreme World Races Challenge.

Daniel, a keen mountain climber, was selected for the race after a week-long training programme in Norway.

“It’s a hazardous place,” he said. “You have to be mentally and physically prepared.”

The challenge marks the 100th anniversary of Roald Amundsen’s and Capt Robert Scott’s battle to be the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole.

Scott, a Royal Navy officer, died with four others as he made the return journey after being beaten by Mr Amundsen.

But the history of the route has not put Daniel off.

He said: “It’ll probably be 16 hour days. I’m dreading it now thinking about it because there’s no darkness, it’ll be constant light. I’ll be training with the Royal Marines and my mountaineering experience will help me to prepare. I’ll also be doing ultra-marathons, which are 50-mile runs.”

The race is split into two legs, with a 24-hour stop in between.

Teams can be made up of three, but Daniel, father to four-year-old Jessica and one-year-old Jack, said his studies of past races shows two-member teams are quicker. But they have to carry more – up to at least 150kg between them.

In order to take part in the race, which is due to start on December 15, Daniel needs to raise �120,000 to help pay for the safety mechanisms which will allow competitors to be tracked by satellites even though they are skiing alone.

n If you can help, email Daniel at bouskila2001@yahoo.com.