Richard Parks is off again

Daredevil adventurer Richard Parks has revealed his next extraordinary challenge – an 1,100km solo skiing expedition across Antarctica to the South Pole.

The former Wales rugby star – who last year became the first person in history to stand on the highest peaks of all seven continents and trek to both Poles in the same calendar year – today reveals his plans for his next mission.

The iron man adventurer, forced to quit rugby due to a shoulder injury in May 2009, plans to undertake his next gruelling feat this winter.

The 34-year-old plans to ski 1,137km solo, unsupported and unaided from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole – a quest he expects to take between four and six weeks.

The former Pontypridd, Leeds, Perpignan and Newport Gwent Dragons flanker said the trip would help him prepare for another world-first adventure he is planning for next year.

Parks, who trekked 111km to the South Pole in -40°C temperatures on the first leg of his epic challenge in December 2010, said he was excited to return to the continent.

He said: “Antarctica, from when I went there for the first leg last year, touched me and it’s always stayed with me.”

Parks left Cardiff Bay to begin his 737 Challenge a century after Captain Robert Scott’s Terra Nova expedition left the Welsh capital for the South Pole.

And last year marked a centenary since humans first reached the Pole, with a team of Norwegians led by Roald Amundsen arriving on December 14, 1911.

Scott’s five-man team arrived the following month but all five perished on the Ross Ice Shelf during their return journey.

Parks said: “Doing the challenge solo means I’m on my own. Unsupported means there are no food drops and no external support or air support or anything like that.

“Unaided means not using kites or anything like that, just travelling by your own means.”

The four-time Wales cap – who is aiming to raise £1m in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care through his 737 Challenge, which officially ends this month – plans to ski from the Hercules Inlet, on the southwest margin of the Ronne Ice Shelf, to the geographic South Pole.

“The opportunity to go back to ski the full distance to the Pole is something that will be incredibly challenging, certainly.

“It’s one of the toughest things I could have done, especially solo, but I see it as a real privilege to have that opportunity.”

The trip forms part of his preparation for Parks’ next proposed world-first adventure, which he has earmarked to take place in 2013/14. But he said he still did not know whether such an adventure was “physically possible”.

Parks recently returned to Denali, the highest mountain in North America, to test out new equipment ahead of his next project.


Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2012/07/01/richard-parks-reveals-plan-for-1-000km-solo-ski-across-antarctic-91466-31293487/#ixzz1zO1p9Gmw


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Good luck to him, I thought he would be a bit wary of the cold after the whole frostbite problem on his 737 challenge. It will be interesting to see what this world first challenge is if a 1100km solo ski trip through Antarctica is preparation for it.

Let's hope he has a different PR team this time!

mowgli wrote:Let's hope he has a different PR team this time!

Indeed, it was pretty shocking how little exposure/coverage he had during his last outing, I mean he made history after all and didn't raise near as much as he would have hoped for charity.

Scandalous really but being a taff they probably thought he was going to set himself a huge target and then fail!

Let's hope that there is a bit more coverage this time.

Great lad Parks, raised a lot of money for charities who needed it.

Sitting at my desk I always admire people who do this kind of thing .Up Pen-Y-Fan on a frosty morning about does it for me.

Even with GPS and modern clothing and equipment Antartica is still a man eater of a place you've got to respect someone who attempts this.

pontylad wrote:Sitting at my desk I always admire people who do this kind of thing .Up Pen-Y-Fan on a frosty morning about does it for me.

Even with GPS and modern clothing and equipment Antartica is still a man eater of a place you've got to respect someone who attempts this.

When the batteries in the gps die, the sat phone can't find signal, the wholes in your hi-tec clothes leak and the other equipment deteriorates you realise that you are little different to Robert Falcon Scott.

The Ross ice shelf at minus forty in sixty knots of breeze is a bloody nasty place.

Fair play to him. I wonder how long it will be before he stops being 'Ex-Wales international Richard Parks' ans starts to be know as 'Polar Adventurer Richard Parks'.

Also he is a step above Scott as he made it home from his trip out there!

It was shocking how little coverage his last event was given even by BBC Wales so lets hope he gets a bit more this time.

Of course if he was your famous Z list celeb off Big X Dancing Factor Celeb whatever it would have been all over the news.

If he painted himself orange and had a silly hairstyle I'm sure he would be more readily accepted by the Welsh public and get his own show on BBC Wales.

maestegmafia wrote:

pontylad wrote:Sitting at my desk I always admire people who do this kind of thing .Up Pen-Y-Fan on a frosty morning about does it for me.

Even with GPS and modern clothing and equipment Antartica is still a man eater of a place you've got to respect someone who attempts this.

When the batteries in the gps die, the sat phone can't find signal, the wholes in your hi-tec clothes leak and the other equipment deteriorates you realise that you are little different to Robert Falcon Scott.

The Ross ice shelf at minus forty in sixty knots of breeze is a bloody nasty place.

Yes I read Apsley Cherry-Gerrard's (great name could have been a flying wing for England) Worst Journey IN the World once and had cold shivers running down my spine and I was on a beach in Greece at the time in 35 degree heat.

He's nuts but he's got guts and determination fair play!

I can't believe he's doing it again (or that the wife allowed him!) - the fact that he says a stroll to the South Pole is just a 'warm-up' for something that is maybe impossible is absolutely crazy!

Like everyone else I say hats off to Parks and really hope he gets more coverage and not the almost criminal neglect (maybe a bit strong) that he got last time.

Hope he meets his fundraising targets as well

Not sure where to put this, and then found this thread.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25603576

Richard Parks is now the official holder of the fastest solo brit to the south pole. Another amazing achievement, by a truly great man.

It really is. Man is a hero. Glad I got his autograph on my 737 charity shirt from the Dragons v Blues game (along with Dragons legend Ben Castle)

I can't believe how little press the man gets. We give plenty of time on the news to people undeserving, but someone like him, who should be sainted (but at least knighted), gets a passing mention at best.

I did mention that in my post over 1.5 years ago. It is saddening.

Fantastic achievement. I've been getting the daily facebook updates. He's been skiing for 11 or 12 hours a day doing between 20 and 30 miles a day. Brutal!

However, I'm not sure how the holder of the world record (which Richard was aiming to beat) managed to do it. He did it something like a week quicker! That's a lot of extra skiing each day.