A WEST Felton adventurer has launched his biggest project yet, an attempt to complete a new world record for the longest sit-ski expedition in the history of polar exploration.
Darren Edwards, 32, is paralysed from the chest down and operating at the ‘absolute limit of what is possible for someone with a high-level Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)’.
Darren, who was paralysed from a climbing accident in 2016, aged 26, will attempt to cross the Antarctic in just 20 days, covering 333km in temperatures as low as -20, and is aiming to be the first disabled person to complete the challenge.
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He is aiming to raise £300,000 for Wings for Life, a charity that hopes to seek a cure for people living with spinal cord injuries.
A spokesman for Darren said the attempt will prove to be ‘dangerous and challenging’.
They said: “Starting at 87° South and ending at 90° South, the Geographical South Pole, Darren will be supported by a team made up of three friends, including Matt Luxton the man who saved his life on the day of his life-changing climbing accident in 2016 and Megan Hine.
“Antarctica is a dangerous place for anyone, let alone someone with a high-level spinal cord injury.
“Working together, the team will face the risk of extreme temperatures, altitude sickness, exhaustion, and adverse environmental conditions including sastrugi, high winds, snowstorms, and crevasses.”
In addition to changing perceptions of disability, the purpose behind Darren Edwards’ South Pole Challenge is to raise £300,000 for the charity ‘Wings for Life’ which seeks to find a cure for Spinal Cord Injury, and funds research and clinical trials globally – with astonishing results.
The spokesman added: “Wings for Life fund the world’s most promising scientific research and clinical trials around the globe, aimed at finding a cure for spinal cord injury.
“Since its inception in 2004, Wings for Life has funded more than 270 research projects worldwide, including six major clinical trials, and a number of vital breakthroughs have been made.
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“There is now real and legitimate hope spinal cord injury can be cured in a generation.”
Darren already has several world record challenges to his name as the world’s first disabled athlete to complete the World Marathon Challenge – seven marathons in seven days across seven continents – the world’s first adaptive athlete to kayak the length of the UK and a member of the world’s first all-disabled team to ski across Europe’s largest Ice Cap, Vatnajokull in Iceland.
The expedition will take place in December 2024.
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