Shrewsbury adventurer setting his sites on the South Pole
Darren Edwards wants to complete the longest sit-ski expedition across Antarctica
A Shrewsbury adventurer, who was left paralysed from the waist down in a climbing accident, is hoping to break another record, by completing the longest sit-ski expedition across Antarctica.
Darren Edwards has already become the first disabled person to compete seven marathons, in seven days, across seven continents.
In December 2024, he will attempt to complete the longest sit-ski expedition in the history of Antarctic exploration.
In his epic undertaking to reach the South Pole, Darren will be supported by three of his closest friends, including the man who saved his life on the day of his climbing accident in 2016.
The team will cover 333 kilometres to the Geographical South Pole, face temperatures below -20C, and will be operating at the very limit of what is possible for someone with a high-level Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).
Currently, the furthest distance travelled by a sit-ski to reach the South Pole is 111 kilometres.
Working together, the team will face the risk of extreme temperatures, altitude sickness, exhaustion, and changeable/adverse environmental conditions (sastrugi, high winds, storms, and crevasses).
In addition to changing perceptions of disability, the aim is to raise £300,000 for the charity ‘Wings for Life’ which seeks to find a cure for Spinal Cord Injury, and funds promising research projects across the globe.
Darren said "I'm just doing what I've always done and embrace these adventurers because life is short.
"In a weird way life with a disability presents you with more opportunities than I had before, so it's about grasping these opportunities with both hand and living a life that the old me would have been proud of and the new me is really excited for.
"Whatever adversity you face, physical or mental, it's there for you to push your own boundaries and prove that you can achieve anything, no matter the context of what's happened in your life"