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This project successfully funded on 26th September 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
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This project successfully funded on 26th September 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
To publish ‘The Pole of Possibility’ book, about a Paralympian sit-skiing >300km in Antarctica. Fundraising for The Polar Academy.
This project aims to raise funds in support of The Polar Academy charity, https://www.thepolaracademy.org/ , through publishing 'The Pole of Possibility' : a story of a team including Paralympic champion & adventurer, Karen Darke, sit-skiing over 300km of Antarctic wilderness to create the ‘Pole of Possibility’.
This is not just a story about reaching a remote point in Antarctica. It’s about rediscovering what truly matters, resilience and mindset, connecting with nature, finding ‘inner gold’ and exploring what is behind possibility. It is aimed at being suitable for adults and older teenagers.
How it works:
Donate a minimum of £15 to receive a signed copy of the book and please add likely postage & packaging (UK £2.50, Europe £7.50, Worldwide sorry its crazy £14). Sorry not as cheap as Amazon! All profits from the book (approx. 50% per copy), will go to the charity.
Just leave your name and address at checkout for a physical copy, or your email if you'd prefer the digital version. (Audio version will be available later.)
After a climbing accident left Karen paralysed from the chest down, her journey took her far beyond medals and milestones. It led her inward, towards what she calls “inner gold”: resilience, mindset, meaning, and a deeper connection to self and others. That journey culminated in a groundbreaking expedition to 79°S, 79°W, an unvisited point in Antarctica - The Pole of Possibility. It lies in a stunningly beautiful place on the Ross Ice Shelf, below the Mount Vinson massif.
But The Pole of Possibility is more than an adventure book. It’s a moving reflection on identity, vulnerability, and what becomes possible when we strip back expectation and return to who we really are. It is about the power and value of nature. At its heart, it’s a guide for anyone navigating life’s uncertainty, offering a new way to think about meaning, awareness, connection and possibility.
By supporting this campaign, you’re not only helping bring this book to life, you’re also supporting a great charity.
All profits from this first publishing round will go directly to The Polar Academy, a Scottish charity transforming young lives through polar exploration. The Polar Academy works with young people who are often overlooked - those struggling with confidence, anxiety, or lack of direction - and gives them a once-in-a-lifetime chance to discover their strength through challenging Arctic expeditions. Just as Karen’s journey has been about redefining possibility, The Polar Academy helps teenagers redefine what they believe is possible for themselves.
This book is a tribute to the spirit of exploration, of inner discovery, of finding a peaceful place within.
With your help, the funds will:
- Raise funds and awareness for The Polar Academy, helping more young people find courage, confidence, and a new sense of purpose
- Share this story with a wide audience who will be inspired to reflect on their own possibilities
“In a world that prizes speed, certainty, comparison and achievement, this book invites us to pause, to reflect, and to reimagine what might be possible, for ourselves, and for the world around us.” Dwayne Fields, Chief Scout & Adventurer
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE AIM IS TO PRINT THE BOOK BY OCTOBER 2025, so you will receive your copy soon after that.
References / Further Links
You can listen to a podcast about the project from the perspective of 'biodiversity science' here, which gives a taster of the expedition, though note that the science is not the focus of this book. https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-zhipz-147f464
The project happened, unintentionally, to be a Guinness World Record, https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/759423-longest-sit-ski-journey-in-antarctica
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made