Journey South (Kasim Rafiq)

From 21.10.2012 to - Status: scheduled

Kasim Rafiq aims to be the youngest Briton to conquer the SP unassisted and unsupported

Young University of Edinburgh student Kasim Rafiq (22, bord in Livingston) aims to become the youngest Briton to conquer the South Pole. Unassisted and unsupported, meaning without resupply and without any kind of powerkites whatsoever.

In November 2012, young zoology student Kasim Rafiq (from Livingston) is attempting to break a British record. At the age of 22, he wants to become the youngest Briton to ski from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole (i.e. the classical trek Hercules Inlet -> South Pole) with no outside help in an epic 60 day journey.

This adventure is not only a personal challenge : it seems that nowadays, almost no so called explorer-adventurer dares to undertake a polar expedition without attaching to the expediiton a humanitarian section.

This time, we deal with something different : the power of entertainment.

Through the journey, he aims to raise money for the charity Comic Relief. He has previously raised £3500 for Action Medical Research by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. This adventure is expected to cost about £40,000. The student, who has been planning the trip for years, says the biggest challenge will be raising the funds.

Kasim Rafiq, from Livingston in central Scotland, had travelled little before starting his studies at the University. However, he caught the travel bug in his first year on a biology trip to South Africa, and since then has sought tougher and tougher challenges. He has already conquered Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro, undertaken a three-week polar expedition to Svalbard in Norway, and enjoyed numerous ventures to Scottish mountains.