The Navy’s elite fighting force finally met their match – when they found members of the opposite sex who love extreme temperatures as much as they do.

The first all-woman team to attempt the 290-mile trek to the magnetic North Pole called in on 42 Commando Royal Marines in Voss, in Norway, to pick up last-minute survival hints from the Green Berets.

The trio – Phillipa Thompson, Clare Kavanagh and Jocie Robertson – compete next month in a race to the Pole, raising funds for the RNLI in the process.

The explorers asked the Plymouth-based Mountain Leader Training team for an intense weekend of survival and Arctic training with the Royal Marines, currently on winter exercises.

The ‘Arctic Angels’, as they have been dubbed, were put through their paces by Sgt Bowgen, who had the trio skiing cross-country, pulling heavily-laden sledges and learning vital survival skills.

“Training with the Royal Marines has given us the opportunity to learn skills which will sustain us while we are competing,” said Clare. “We’ve received the best possible instruction from the experts in the Arctic environment.”

3 Commando Brigade’s Sgt Stan Bloomer added: “The girls showed a lot of determination and willingness to learn during their training.

“They will have taken in a lot of information and knowledge which will certainly make them physically and mentally better prepared and focused for the challenge that lies ahead.”

The race to the Pole is expected to take three weeks.