Former Para-Athlete Commences Solo South Pole Ski Expedition

An ex-GB para-athlete has commenced an endeavor to become the inaugural disabled individual to complete a solo and unsupported ski journey to the South Pole. Jonny Huntington, aged 38, hailing from Kingsbridge in south Devon, experienced a stroke in 2014 during his service as an officer in the British Army. This incident resulted in complete paralysis on his left side, from the neck downwards. Following ten years of rehabilitation and rigorous training, he initiated his challenge on Monday, which involves skiing 566 miles (911km) across the Antarctic tundra. He estimated this expedition would span 40 days. Mr. Huntington expressed that the undertaking would be “quite exciting” because “no one with a disability has done this before”. Subsequent to his stroke, Mr. Huntington lives with left-sided paralysis, manifesting as a considerable deficit in strength, mobility, and control on that side of his body. In the course of his recovery, he joined the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team and represented the GB Para Nordic ski team between 2017 and 2020, participating in World Cups held in Ukraine and Finland. The concept for his South Pole journey emerged after he concluded his competitive skiing career. He stated: “I’ll be doing it completely on my own with no sort of help, no resupply, nothing like that.” “Existing somewhere which is fundamentally hostile to life, it’s the ultimate test.” Mr. Huntington is transporting all his gear and provisions in a sled, which has an approximate weight of 110kg (242lbs). As part of his preparation, he also completed a 20-day solo expedition in northern Sweden during April. Mr. Huntington arrived by air at Union Glacier to “spend a few days on the ice” for his ultimate preparations, prior to his departure from Fuchs-Messner, situated on the periphery of the Antarctic landmass, on 21 November. He expressed confidence in having undertaken the appropriate level of preparation to successfully complete the endeavor. He remarked: “I’ve done everything I can to make it succeed, but I’ve never been to Antarctica before, it famously has quite strict conditions down there.” “There aren’t disabled explorers, it’s not a job, but I’ll just have to figure out how we can make this work.” Information regarding BBC Devon is available on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Story ideas can be sent to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. This content is copyrighted by BBC, 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC states it is not responsible for the content of external sites and provides information on its approach to external linking.