A primary school head teacher is acclimatising to sub-zero conditions in preparation for one of the toughest adventures on the planet.

Fifty-two-year-old Angus King has landed in northern Canada in readiness for the start of Polar Challenge 2008 - a 350-mile race of a lifetime to the magnetic North Pole.

The Thornbury Primary School head is now receiving last-minute tips on how to survive temperatures which, with wind chill, could fall as low as minus 90C.

Mr King has also met up with his two team-mates, a farmer from Dorset and engineer from the North East.

In a message relayed to the Telegraph & Argus from his frozen base camp in Resolute Bay, Mr King said: "Polar Challenge will fulfil a lifelong dream given to me by my father, who was always interested in reading about the great polar explorers. I have dreamt of going to one of the poles for many years but never quite believed that the opportunity would ever arise - but here I am raring to go!"

Mr King added: "I also want to inspire and motivate children in my school and in other schools in Bradford and the country. I hope the children will follow my progress in this challenge and will have the seed of a dream planted in them."

In preparation for Polar Challenge 2008 all 24 competitors in this year's race have taken part in a series of mini-expeditions and weekends in Wales, Norway and the Arctic. Temperatures in Resolute Bay are currently hovering around the -25C mark.

Teams are due to begin racing on Monday, April 21, with the winners expected to take around ten days to reach the finish line.

While taking part in the race, Mr King also plans to keep school pupils 3,000 miles away in Bradford up-to-date with his progress.

A website named Polar Warriors which can be found at bradfordschools.net/polarw has been established by Education Bradford, the private company which helps run Bradford schools, to monitor his efforts. Mr King will also send back regular blogs and recorded messages during stop-overs on ice floes. Up-to-the-minute race reports will also be available on the Polar Challenge website at: polar-challenge.com Mr King hopes his adventure will raise around £10,000 for his own charity which raises funds for education projects in Pakistan and South Africa. Visit chameleon-developingeducation.org.uk to find out more.