Ice Cap Crossing Attempt By Paraplegic

In May 2006, six explorers hope to break new ground on a venture across the Greenland ice-cap. In their own words, they will make the crossing 'on hands and feet', as one member of the team, Karen Darke, is paralysed from the chest down. If they succeed, the expedition will also be the first inclusive crossing of Greenland by a British Woman.

The aim of the expedition is to increase awareness of disabled access to the outdoor environment, and to the Arctic in particular. Expedition patron, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, comments: "the expedition aims to push back the boundaries of one of the world's final frontiers - wilderness access for disabled explorers - and by doing so, to inspire others to overcome their own obstacles and to fulfil their dreams. Knowing the people involved, and the organisations supporting them, I believe that the technologies and expertise developed during this venture will be used to enhance the lives of many - not only those with disabilities."

After the venture is complete, an Inclusive Expedition handbook will be produced, to help disseminate information to the disabled community. The team will also hold expedition conferences and university fieldwork conferences for the same purpose, and will take part in hands-on British activity programmes for groups including disabled members.

Another crucial aspect of the expedition is the development and testing of technologies that meet the needs of disabled explorers. Karen Darke, who was a keen mountaineer and runner before she paralysed herself in a rock-climbing accident, has plenty of experience in this field. Her husband, Suresh Paul, is an award-winning designer and researcher in the field of outdoor technologies for disabled people. His products have been tested by disabled athletes on the six major inclusive expeditions that he and Karen have run in the last seven years. The ice-cap crossing will be Karen's most demanding venture so far though.

The challenge to the clothing manufacturers include the fact that Karen is unable to regulate her body temperature below the chest. As she will be travelling in temperatures below - 30C this is a major issue and the team are working with two major clothing companies to help overcome it. It can also take Karen over an hour to go to the toilet and so the development of methods for heating a tent's interior will be crucial, as she can't expose her skin to the freezing temperatures for this long. In total, the team are looking for £36,000 sponsorship for the design, testing and production of custom-made kit.

Despite the specific challenges faced by the team, ice conditions mean that they must complete the crossing in only 35 days - the same length of time as able-bodied teams. This means that the physical and mental stresses will be greater, as the expedition equipment will be distributed between a smaller number of people. However, the team members are seasoned explorers, all six having completed numerous expeditions worldwide. Four are Arctic travel experts and four have been designing outdoor equipment for the last five years. Two are also professional photographers. Karen herself has kayaked Alaska's inner passage and hand-cycled down the length of Japan and across the Tien Sinan. Along with her husband Suresh, she has also founded the Scottish Hand-Cycling Club, the Integrate Paddling Club, and 'Equal Adventures', to help create disabled access to the outdoors.

The expedition will give rise to numerous media opportunities. The team have been commissioned to produce a BBC radio 4 broadcast about the journey and will be offering it to Scandinavian radio stations as well. They also have a commission for a three part documentary on Norwegian television and a one hour expedition documentary on satellite channels. A shorter documentary will be produced for European Mountain Film festivals. Numerous news articles have also been commissioned and the team might even publish a book once the expedition is complete.

So, there should be plenty of opportunities to track the team's progress. We'll be keeping an eye on how the expedition goes on OUTDOORSmagic as well though. Watch this space for further information.