This December, multi-record-breaking adaptive adventurer Darren Edwards will attempt a new world record by completing the longest sit-ski expedition in the history of polar exploration to raise money to find a cure for Spinal Cord Injury.
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’s epic attempt to reach the South Pole will see him sit-ski 222 kilometres in just 20 days in -30 degree temperatures. Currently, the furthest distance travelled by a sit-ski to reach the South Pole is 111 kilometres, making this a gargantuan undertaking.
Starting at 88° South and ending at 90° South, the Geographical South Pole, Darren will be supported by a team of adventurers made up of British Explorer Lucy Shepherd, Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and award-winning film maker Matthew Biggar.
Antarctica is a dangerous place for anyone, let alone someone with a high-level Spinal Cord Injury. Skiing through the day and camping at night, the team will be unsupported, facing the risk of extreme temperatures, altitude sickness, exhaustion, and adverse environmental conditions including sastrugi, high winds, snowstorms, and crevasses.
Yet beyond the immense physical and logistical challenges, this expedition carries a deeper purpose. Darren’s mission is not only to break records but to break down barriers, challenge perceptions of disability and empower others to redefine the impossible in their own lives.
Darren hopes to raise £100,000 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.
