Kim-Marie Spence was chosen as the Jamaican representative who will be a part of the Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition.

The expedition will see an eight-member female team from Commonwealth countries ski to the Geographic South Pole in December.

On December 15, 2008, Flair published an article highlighting the possibility that either Spence or Alecia Maragh would be chosen as the Jamaican who would make the actual hike.

Two-week training

During a two-week training session in Norway, recently, to help the women get accustomed to the possible conditions they will encounter, Spence was selected.

"The most challenging aspect of the training in Norway has been learning to ski. It did not come naturally," she said, in an email interview. "It required movement in directions that I had not done before. Mental fortitude allowed me to get better."

Experiencing sub-zero temperatures was also a challenge for the 30-year-old.

"Being in the cold is not really about learning to deal with cold, but how to stay warm. The hard part of warmth management was keeping track of four layers of clothing, three pairs of gloves, in particular, and of skin management; skin protection is key!" she said.

"Third, we now have to ski with pulks, big, heavy sled packs. Pulling these uphill is difficult!"

30-day hike

The hike will last for 30 days. Other team members will come from the Republic of Cyprus, Ghana, India, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Two teams of four women will set off from opposite points and journey to one spot on New Year's Day 2010, where they will each plant their country's flag.