Create an image in your mind of the typical body required to scale the largest ice cap in Europe, bearing in mind all the dangers that come with braving a 155-kilometre expanse of cold and (potential) calamity.
Now, picture that frame without full use of at least two limbs, and you're some way to understanding the size of the task awaiting Ed Jackson, Dr. Niall McCann and Darren Edwards, who begin their 'Back to Back' trek over Iceland's Vatnajokull on April 14. The trio will attempt to become the first fully disabled team to overcome the gargantuan glacier, hoping to raise £155,000 in the process—or £1,000 for every kilometre they complete.
It's enough to intimidate even the most seasoned climber, but as the group put it to Mirror Sport, the sum of their parts makes for one full functioning whole. “The way we describe our team is we’ve got four fully functioning limbs, six partly functioning limbs and two non-functioning limbs," said biologist, explorer and adventurer McCann. "Or as Ed recently said, ‘We’ve got about one complete body between us.'"
