A climber left paralysed from the chest down after a near-fatal fall is taking on the biggest adventure of his life. Darren Edwards is bidding to complete the furthest expedition by sit-ski in the history of Antarctic exploration. The former civil servant and soldier from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, will attempt to ski 333km to the Geographic South Pole this December.
The challenge is a fund-raiser for the charity , which funds research and clinical trials that aim to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Darren, 33, said: “I am hugely excited by the opportunity to take on the sit-ski expedition, especially because for years after my accident I did not imagine I would be able to do such challenges. “It will mean spending time in a truly remote wilderness area and with all the potential dangers of cold, ice and the difficulties that come with a spinal cord injury.
“But, I feel privileged to have the support and capability to be able to go to the Antarctic and to hopefully reach the South Pole. “I also hope that the adventure will provide inspiration to anyone else who has a spinal injury, or anyone who is struggling and finds themselves in a dark place.” Before breaking his back and severing his spinal cord as a result of the fall on a cliff face known as in 2016, Darren’s dream had been to one day .
He was inspired as a boy by the book Touching the Void, written by Joe Simpson, which tells a story of the life-or-death pursuits that defined so many pioneers of high-altit.