‘I want people not to lose hope’ - Paralysed pioneer from Shrewsbury taking on Antartica to prove nothing is impossible
A paralysed adventurer from Shrewsbury hopes to inspire people to “not lose hope” as he prepares to attempt a world record expedition in Antarctica for charity.
Darren Edwards, who is paralysed from the chest down, will try to complete the longest sit-ski expedition in history in the South Pole next month, raising funds to help find a cure for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).
He aims to sit-ski 222 kilometres in just 20 days throughout December, in temperatures that could drop to minus 30C. The current record for the furthest sit-ski journey to the South Pole is 111 kilometres.
For Darren, who was paralysed after a climbing accident in North Wales in 2016, the extraordinary challenge is about much more than the record.
“I don’t need a piece of paper on the wall that says 'world record' to feel a sense of achievement,” he told the Shropshire Star.
“This expedition is about empowering and inspiring others: not just people living with a disability, but anybody.
“Anybody at some point in their life could go through something pretty big, some form of adversity that tests them to their limit. I can remember what it feels like in that moment to lose all hope and belief that the future had opportunity.
“If the impact of the mission is that it makes someone keep going and not lose hope, that is what I will be most proud of, not a world record.”
Darren will be supported by a team of adventurers including British explorer Lucy Shepherd, Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and filmmaker Matthew Biggar.
The mission would be demanding for any athlete - but especially for someone with a high-level spinal cord injury.
The team will be completely unsupported, skiing throughout the day and camping at night while facing risks including extreme cold, altitude sickness, exhaustion and hazardous terrain such as sastrugi, high winds, snowstorms and crevasses.
