Father and son set off for South Pole

Father and son Kevin (left) and Matt Gaskill, who are teaming up to in the youngest ever record attempt trip to the South Pole Photo: PA

The expedition, should it succeed, will see gap year student Matt Gaskell, 18, become the youngest person to complete the treacherous journey to the coldest place on earth.

The teenager, who has applied for a place to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, will set out with his father, Kevin, 50, to cross the Antarctic, fighting some of the world's most extreme weather conditions.

Facing temperatures as low as - 50C and battling winds in excess of 50km/ph, the pair hope to cover 300km to reach their destination.

In another first, supporters will be able to follow them via live updates to their blog, made by using a satellite phone.

The pair, from Newbury, Berkshire, have given themselves a month to cross the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, either on foot or on skis.

They will climb to 10,000ft, pulling sledges weighing more than 135lb (61kg).

But both remain confident they can - and will - achieve what has eluded so many before them.

Speaking ahead of their departure, Mr Gaskell said: "Like all of these things, it's taken a lot of preparation, a year to train and suddenly it's happening.

"I'm feeling apprehensive but very excited. The temperatures are going to be around -50C and anyone would be foolish to go into that sort of environment without any concerns.

"I am taking my son into it, so naturally I'm apprehensive, like any father would be."

But Mr Gaskell, whose previous challenges include climbing Everest and trekking to the North Pole, said he had total confidence in the straight-A student.

"Matt is a big guy, he's very focused and he understands exactly what he's letting himself in for," he said.

"He knows full well that where we are going is mortally dangerous. He jokes that he'll be looking after me and in many ways he probably will."

But he added: "He hasn't got an ounce of fat on him so I don't know what he will look like when he gets back."

The two have been training for a year, walking for 15 miles pulling car tyres behind them, near their home in Berkshire.

But Mr Gaskell said the training had paid dividends and they are ready for the exertion ahead of them, despite a couple of equipment setbacks over the past month.

Father and son will have to contend with four weeks of sleeping on hard ice, eating freeze-dried meals and drinking melted snow.

They will have to build a snow wall every time they pitch their tent and will burn on average 10,000 calories per day.

Mr Gaskell said: "No matter how much you train, there's no preparation for the real thing.

"The climate is so harsh and unyielding that you must prepare for the worst but only take what you absolutely have to.

"But I know what I am going to face down there, so in that respect you are prepared for it.

"The greatest risks are the crevasses but there are precautions you take to avoid them. I am not going to die of exposure, not with the equipment I've got."

During the trek, they will only be able to communicate with loved ones using SpinVox, a voice-to-text service with which they will be able to update the online blog.

Speaking into a satellite phone, they can inform family and friends of their progress.

Mr Gaskell, chairman of Achilles Group Limited, a multinational provider of procurement audit services, is raising funds for the North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre.

He is making the expedition in memory of his younger sister Jayne, who died from leukaemia in 2004, and aims to raise £40,000.

On Boxing Day the pair depart from the Patriot Hills base on Antarctica.

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