Kingsbridge stroke survivor battles Antarctica to make history

A disabled adventurer from Kingsbridge has “turned a corner” on a world-first expedition to the Antarctic.

Inspiring Devon stroke survivor Jonny Huntington is aiming to become the first-ever disabled person to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.

He has recently passed the halfway point and is now approaching the final stretch of this gruelling journey.

Jonny was born in Cambridge, where he lived until he went to university at 18 and later joined the military.

At just 28 years old, a stroke in 2014 left Jonny with complete paralysis on his left side.

Above: Jonny Huntington 

After years of intense rehabilitation, Jonny now lives with permanent brain damage, resulting in limited strength, mobility, and control on his left side.

Reaching this point has been a monumental effort for Jonny, who has already covered over a third (330 km) of his epic expedition.

So far, he has battled freezing Antarctic temperatures, blistering 24-hour sunlight, massive ice formations known as sastrugi, and soft snow, making progress incredibly challenging.

Reflecting on how he is coping both mentally and physically, Jonny said: “The difficulty I have found with being in my own head every day is that it’s very easy to catastrophise things, and you can end up in a negative spiral of thoughts, especially because the landscape is just nothing—I have nothing to focus on to distract myself.”

Above: Image: Jonny Huntington

Sticking to a regimented routine has allowed Jonny to maintain his daily distances.

His routine involves a 6am wake-up, followed by hygiene and breakfast, before skiing his daily goal of 22.5km.

At the mid-point of his expedition, Jonny shared these thoughts from the ice: “The snow conditions have been quite soft, so moving has been difficult, and it’s putting a lot of strain on my body—although that’s not unexpected.

“The best way I can describe the landscape down here is that it looks like one of the desert seas from a post-apocalyptic movie. It is completely devoid of anything—I’ve gone weeks without seeing even a single feature of the landscape.”

“At the minute, I am on track to finish in reasonable time.”

Through his expedition, Jonny will be 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, and see @jonnyhuntington on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Jonny would like to thank the many people who have helped him to take on this challenge, including his partners, Specialist Risk Group, Team Forces, Collins Aerospace, ACRE Capital Real Estate, and Continuate.