Jonny Huntington becomes the first disabled person to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole

Jonny Huntington, has today made history by becoming the first ever person with a disability to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.

SRG is immensely proud to have to have been a key sponsor for Jonny, supporting him in the lead up and throughout his incredible expedition. A true example of difficult done well!

Just 52 people have ever successfully skied to the South Pole without support. Jonny is the first explorer with a disability to do so, covering the 911km of Antarctic tundra with limited mobility down his left-hand side; a feat he completed in 45 days, 14 hours, 15 minutes.

Having set off from Fuchs-Messner on the edge of the Antarctic landmass on 21st November, Jonny arrived at the South Pole on 6^th January at around 5pm (GMT) officially making history as the first ever explorer with a disability to reach the South Pole alone.

“I’m exhausted – but so proud to make it to the pole and complete an expedition that many thought impossible,” said Jonny from the South Pole. “It has pushed me to my limits – both mentally and physically – but there was no way I was going to give up. I just needed to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It is incredible to think that I am the first disabled person in history to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole, and it just proves that anything is possible with self-belief.

I will never let my disability define me, and I hope that by reaching the finish line, it shows that no matter what life throws at you – with enough determination everyone can fulfil their own potential.”

Jonny added: “Antarctica is a remote, hostile and uninhabitable environment, and some of the conditions were incredibly challenging. There were days when I had to finish earlier than planned because of dangerous conditions or pure exhaustion and self-preservation for the longevity of the expedition, meaning the expedition took longer than I initially planned. I ended the expedition with just 24 hours of rations left.”

On average, Jonny was skiing for 11 hours a day and dragging all his equipment and food in a sled which weighed more than 90kg, with everything he needed to survive the expedition.

Throughout the expedition he battled Arctic temperatures as low as -40 C and blistering 24-hour sunlight; huge ice formations called sastrugi and soft snow making progress challenging.

This year has been particularly challenging for adventurers in Antarctica with other expeditions having to be aborted.

Completing the expedition has been a monumental effort for Jonny, who has a significant lack of mobility and control down his left-hand side, following a stroke in 2014.

At just 28 years old, the stroke left Jonny with complete left-side paralysis from the neck down. After years of intense rehab, today Jonny lives with permanent brain damage resulting in a significant lack of strength, mobility and control down his left side.

Talking about how it affected him on the expedition, he said: “This was a massive undertaking for an able-bodied person. Add my restricted movements due to neuro fatigue from the brain damage, and it took the challenge to a whole new level.

“My disability means I have little control in my left ankle, meaning that my leg kind of freely rotates. I fell a lot over the course of my journey, especially at the start of the expedition while I was getting acclimatised to the conditions, but just had to get back up, dust myself off, and carry on. It was also exacerbated by the cold climate of Antarctica and proved a constant challenge with the uneven and sometimes unpredictable snow conditions. Despite the challenges I faced on the ice, my hope is that by completing the expedition, I have shown that disability does not mean inability.”

Through his expedition, Jonny was raising money for four charities including the Invictus Games Foundation, Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team, Team Forces and The Adaptive Grand Slam Foundation. To donate, visit https://givestar.io/gs/south-pole-solo-expedition.

To find out more about Jonny’s expedition, visit www.jonnyhuntington.com or follow @jonnyhuntington on Instagram and LinkedIn.