IceCold in Antarctica
Expedition News-Official Website
From 15.11.2008 to 20.01.2009 - Status: ongoing
International Polar Foundation
© International Polar Foundation
Here's another adventurous expedition for the tour operator ANI (Adventure Network International). This time, the five or six members of the expedition will be setting out from the Ronne Iceshelf (which has become known as the 'Messner Start') and heading for the South Pole. The polar adventurer, teacher and dog-musher Eric Larsen will be their guide.
This is what might be called a humanitarian adventure: two of the participants have set themselves clearly altruistic goals.
The first is Jill Maxwell. Jill does not have a great deal of experience in terms of polar travel. In 2005, she was one of a group of tourists who sailed to the waters of the Antarctic Peninsula aboard a yacht named 'Australis'. Unfortunately, the trip had to be cut short. During their first landing on one of the islands that make up this part of Antarctica, a rogue wave swept almost the entire group off the boat and into the frigid waters of the ocean.
Jill's aim in the expedition is to raise money for breast cancer research in memory of her sister, who was diagnosed with the disease in March 2006. She battled the cancer courageously, but died 16 months later. Jill has set herself the target of raising 100 000 dollars (75 357 euros) for this noble cause.
The other member of this expedition looking to raise funds is Daragh Horgan. Born and raised in Ireland, Darah arrived in London in 1995 and started a financial career in the Square Mile. Going to the South Pole has been one of Daragh's lifelong dreams and he is taking a year's sabbatical to make it come true, beginning in May 2008. Daragh Horgan is married and has one child, Conor.
It is Conor, who has the good fortune of bursting with good health, who gave Daragh the idea of using this expedition to raise money for the SPARKS children's medical research charity. SPARKS stands for Sport Aiding Medical Research for Kids. It is usually only when a child is suffering from a serious illness or disease that people think of raising money for that particular handicap. But in this case, Conor's parents, Daragh and Anne, simply want to thank their lucky stars that they have a child who is in good health ÂÃâ and this is what has prompted them to add a humanitarian side to Daragh's big adventure. The slogan used by Sparks, which helps all forms of paediatric research around the world, is "for all babies to be born healthy and to stay healthy all their lives".
