Back in 1993, a rock-climbing accident left Karen Darke paralysed from the chest down. Though the life she’d previously known had come to an end, time and the inspiration of friends and family – plus a lot of trial and error on her part – has led to a new meaningful and fulfilling life, as she continues to explain to audiences around the UK.

Adventure comes in many shapes and sizes. Once upon a time, learning to sit up in bed seemed to me the hardest challenge ever and, soon after, pushing myself along the street felt like a huge expedition. 15 years ago, with my body broken, hospitalised, I couldn’t have imagined the life of adventure that lay ahead. I lay there surrounded by insipid hospital walls, thinking of all the things I couldn’t do anymore, dreaming of the mountains I could no longer visit.

Nine months later, though, I was surrounded by breath-taking Alpine summits, their black and white slopes rising to jagged skylines. Thanks to spinal injury charity the Back-Up Trust, 14 wheelchair users were learning to ski – a slow, painful but exhilarating process. During that week I realised that I could never swap mountains for concrete, or the outdoors for indoors. Despite all the bruises, I came home thankful for the opportunity, and thirsty for more!

Like a child discovering the world again, I began exploring the options, from horse riding and gliding to canoeing and hand-cycling, gathering a collection of scuffs and bruises along the way. Little did I know then, that I would soon be cycling over the Himalayas, kayaking to Alaska, or considering scaling mountains once more.

“THE CRAZIEST IDEA…”

The most challenging physical adventure, though, lay 10 years ahead – sparked by a disastrous holiday in Lapland where I’d tried to cross-country ski. I’d struggled to push myself more than a few metres in the special sit ski, propelled with poles and brute force, and spent more time with my face in the snow than my skis. Unable to thermo-regulate, I had turned blue with cold while skiing, and shivered the evenings away hugging a hot water bottle.

Afterwards, my friend suggested: “Why don’t we try and ski across Greenland together?” It seemed the craziest idea ever, but the seed of the idea had been planted. In 2006, after two year’s preparation, six of us set out to ski a 600km traverse of the Greenland ice cap. This is a place ravaged by hurricane force winds, arctic temperatures, roving polar bears, and crevasses hundreds of metres deep. It still seemed a place too remote and too wild to contemplate; after all, in the spring of that year, the first three teams to attempt a crossing had all needed to be rescued, thanks to either injury, frostbite or the demoralisation that comes when you’re hit by temperatures as low as –36˚C, 200mph winds and the sheer magnitude of the distance to the other side! So, what chance did we have?

To make a successful crossing would require a team with the upmost strength, stamina and courage. I was fearful that we lacked this, and was worried about the cold and exposure, of the demands the challenge would place on my arms and shoulders – and the possibility of meeting a polar bear! I wondered about the sense in our efforts, and our team – a random mix of people including a 60 year old Polish car salesman, a climber who’d never been on skis, and myself, unable to walk or stay warm. Our team had never even met before we’d head into the icy desert, to share the highs and lows of seeing nothing but a white expanse for a month. Despite all my concerns, though, the attraction of an adventure – a journey with an unknown outcome – was just too compelling. It would be an escape from a world on wheels.

GREENLAND

We were met with a white horizon that seemed to stretch to infinity; it was so flat and expansive that we imagined we could see the curvature of the earth. We skied one behind the other, unable to converse, heads down, working hard, skiing in a straight line for nine hours each day. My fingers felt dizzy with exhaustion, every tendon pushed to its limit.

Initially we felt bored by the nothingness, but as the kilometres passed, it became more beautiful, more enchanting and you noticed how ice crystals changed shape and colour as the sun moved across the sky. Then the storm hit; a crazy wind, snow and ice hurtling at our tent – and our world was suddenly a panic of spades, frantic digging and other emergency measures. We had enough food and fuel with us to survive 35 days, but there were times when I wondered if we would make it across in that time!

A STATE OF MIND

Greenland was the journey of a lifetime, one which emphasised to me what is possible if we set our minds to it. I am constantly amazed by what becomes possible if we are prepared to challenge ourselves, to get out of our comfort zone and to believe that things are possible. Success is all the more likely if we can create a positive, supportive environment – one where we’re hearing Yes instead of No and, “You Can Do It,” rather than: “You’re Deluded!”

I’ve been lucky enough to have some great experiences, thanks to a lot of support, a big measure of belief, and possessing an “adventurous gene”, but my mind has been the thing that has nearly stopped me so many times. Someone once told me: “Disability is a state of mind, not a state of body.” I firmly believe that’s a notion that relates to us all, regardless of whether we have a physical disability or not; our own mind can be our biggest obstacle to living and achieving our wildest aspirations.

IF YOU FALL…

These days, people regularly ask Karen about her outdoor adventures, and how to get around some of the challenges of using a wheelchair. Between February and May, she’s taking to the stage with a UK tour. Her show – called “If You Fall…” – focuses on skiing across the Greenland icecap, and the enormous mental challenge of climbing the kilometre high overhanging rock face of El Capitan in the USA. She told us: “I hope the show will fire up my audiences’ own adventurous gene, and inspire them towards some of their own aspirations.”

At the time of writing, Karen’s tour includes the following venues. Check her website for additional dates as they’re added.

FEBRUARY

24: Halifax: Victoria Theatre:

01422 351 158

25: Salford: The Lowry Theatre:

0870 787 5780

26: Cardigan: Theatr Mwldan:

01239 621 200

28: Inverness: Eden Court Theatre:

01463 234 234

MARCH

03: Oban: H20 Centre:

01631 566 800

11: Poole: Lighthouse Theatre:

0844 406 8666

12: London: Imperial College: TBA

16: Kinlochleven: Kinlochleven Ice Centre: 01855 831 100

17: Drumnadrochit: Craigmonie Centre: 01456 459 224

19: Black Isle: Leisure Centre:

01381 621 252

26: Derby: Assembly Rooms:

01332 255 800

APRIL

23: Dunkeld: Birnam Arts Centre:

01350 727 674

MAY

07: Caernarfon: Galeri Caernarfon:

01286 685 250

FURTHER INFORMATION

www.karendarke.com

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