POLE OF POSSIBILITY
Arm-power to the South Pole 2013
Our challenging fundraising target is £1 million for The Back-Up Trust, a national charity that has helped thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds rebuild their confidence and independence after a devastating spinal cord injury. Thank you for any support you can offer!
The individuals that make up the ‘Pole of Possibility’ team are compelled by adventure, and by breaking down barriers and perceptions of what is possible. The team face a huge challenge: a journey of 1200km, climbing over mountain passes and expanses of windblown snow, through extreme cold and crevasse fields. It will be a unique passage as Karen Darke, paralysed from the chest down, will use a special ‘sit-ski’ and propel herself with her arms, whilst the others pull sleds with enough equipment to survive for up to 60 days in the savage polar conditions.
No-one has ever skied ‘by arm-power’ across Antarctica to the South Pole before - perhaps because the challenges of paralysis seem too great to overcome: not being able to walk; lack of sensation and susceptibility to frostbite; inability to regulate body temperature; and other personal care and logistical issues.
Welcome to an extraordinary journey, attempting what has never been done before: a journey by arm-power across the frozen Antarctic continent to the Geographic South Pole, and raising £1 million for the Back-Up Trust, transforming lives after spinal cord injury.
Chris Bonnington, mountaineer endorses the expedition...“Skiing to the South Pole is a great challenge under any circumstance, but what Karen is attempting to do on her ‘sit-ski’ will be a truly astonishing feat of determination and endurance. It makes me feel humble – my ascent of Everest seems very modest compared to the challenge she faces”.
“Disability is a state of mind, not a state of body. With a vision, a passion, hard work, and good friends, we can achieve almost anything. We hope our journey will demonstrate that the ‘impossible’ is a more a figment of our imagination than a reality, and to inspire a sense of possibility in others.”
Karen Darke
STOP PRESS...One of our team members has been selected for the British Cycling Team, to compete in the 2012 Paralympics. Consequently, the Pole of Possibility challenge is now planned for 2013.
