(Photograph) - Anne Bancroft and Liv Arnesen have left the classroom behind to try to become the first women to ski across the Antarctic. Ms Bancroft, 45, is a primary PE teacher from Minnesota, USA, while Ms Arnesen, 47, from Oslo, Norway, teaches languages. Both describe themselves s teachers first and polar explorers second. The pair will be running an education programme during their trek, with the help of a laptop and a satellite communications link. The epic 100-day trip began last week. Their website, updated daily, is at: www.yourexpedition.com.