Adventurer Mike Dann is gearing up for his latest extreme challenge in the frozen wastes of Europe’s largest icecap.
Property developer Mike, 35, of Longwood, is taking part in a four-man expedition led by paraplegic former soldier Sean Rose.
Sean was left paralysed from the waist down after a skiing accident in 2000 but went on to become a Paralympian ski champion.
He now hopes to raise £25,000 for the Wings of Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation.
The expedition, called 4People6Legs, will see Sean, Mike and two others Kieron Jansch and Robert Brown snow-kite 300km across Vatnajökull in Iceland.
Sean aims to become the first paraplegic to cross the vast, uninhabited icecap.
The adventurers will be on skis and propelled by special kites.
The expedition starts on April 8 and could take up to 10 days depending on the wind speed and direction.
The skiers will generally reach speeds of 35mph while temperatures will dip as low as -15C.
The group has just returned from a training camp in Norway and Mike said: “We have tested our equipment and have one of two things to work on but it’s all systems go.
“It’s going to be a big challenge but that’s what we do it for.”
Mike, engaged to teacher Ruth Harman, 34, is no stranger to extreme challenges. He tries to take part in at least one expedition every year.
In 2006 he took part in a 450-mile ski race to the North Pole and he’s climbed Mount McKinley in Alaska, the highest mountain peak in North America.
Last year he went snow-kiting 750 miles across Greenland.
“I like cold places and I like a challenge,” said Mike. “And it beats being in the office.”
Mike acted as an adviser to the 4People6Legs expedition but they quickly realised his survival expertise would be invaluable on the trip.
“Kieron and Robert have never been on any expeditions but they are experienced kiters,” said Mike.
“They didn’t know how to melt snow for cooking or how to best insulate themselves. That’s what Norway was all about.”
Sean, on the other hand, is an outward bound expert.
“Sean is an inspiration,” said Mike. “His attitude to life is just so positive.
“He does not see things that stop him. He sees things that he needs to find a way around.
“He can ski and travel but he can’t pull a sledge or set his own kite up.
“It’s going to be all about teamwork.”
Someone in the UK suffers a spinal cord injury every eight hours.
Wings for Life has the ambitious aim of finding a cure for spinal injury.
To donate go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/4people6legs
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