Disabled man completes South Pole trek

Jonny Huntington reached the South Pole after enduring extreme conditions and 24-hour sunlight

A former GB para athlete has become the first disabled person to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.

Jonny Huntington, from Kingsbridge, Devon, covered 566 miles (911km) of Antarctic ice in 46 days despite the effects of a debilitating stroke he suffered in 2014.

The 38-year-old set off from Fuchs-Messner on 21 November 2024 and arrived at the South Pole on Monday.

Throughout his expedition, he skied in extreme conditions, including freezing temperatures and 24-hour sunlight, while dragging a 242lb (110kg) sled carrying his food and equipment.

Speaking via a satellite phone on arrival at the South Pole, Mr Huntington said: "It's been a bit of a whirlwind since getting here. It's pretty emotional.

"My right leg is pretty sore, which I think is probably reasonable, because it's done most of the work."

Only 52 people have successfully skied to the South Pole without support but Mr Huntington is understood to be the first explorer with a disability to do so.

A former Army officer, Mr Huntington was left paralysed from the neck down on his left side when he suffered a stroke at the age of 28.

It took years of rehabilitation before he was able to fully walk again and he was left with restricted movement down his left side.

He said the final stage of his expedition was much more challenging because he encountered huge ice formations called sastrugi, as well as soft snow, which made progress difficult.

Carrying equipment, Jonny Huntington had to ski for nine to 11 hours per day

"This has been tough, the injury has certainly made it more difficult," said Mr Huntington.

"In the last couple of weeks I have been in a position where I've worried if my good side is going to survive this."

During his stroke recovery, Mr Huntington became a member of the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team (AFPST), which ignited his love for skiing.

'Refused to stop'

He went on to join the GB para Nordic ski team, competing between 2017 and 2020 at World Cups in Lviv, Ukraine, and Vuokatti, Finland, as well as the inaugural European Paralympic Committee Games in Poland in 2020.

The idea for the South Pole expedition came after he stopped skiing competitively and he planned and trained for the expedition for five years.

He said: "I don't think I've pushed any boundaries in the sense of the route I've done, or anything like that - but, at the same time, I've dragged a pretty mangled body through that route.

"I'm just a normal bloke from South Devon - like, there is no magic formula and there's nothing special about me to enable me to have done what I've done.

"On this trip, I kept putting one foot in front of the other until I got to the end.

"When things were really tough, I just refused to stop putting one foot in front of the other."

Mr Huntington said he was looking forward to celebrating his achievement with a steak and a glass of red wine.