Amputee’s aim to conquer the Antarctic ice
When William Pike packs for his trip to Antarctica, he’ll be ticking off the usuals - warm clothes, hiking boots, and spare leg parts.
Pike is one of four people chosen for a trip to the Antarctic Peninsula organised by the Antarctic Heritage Trust, but he’s a little different to the other attendees.
The Aucklander lost his leg in 2007 when the mountain he was on, Mt Ruapehu, erupted.
Mud, water and debris pinned Pike down, crushing his right leg.
Since then, Pike has created the William Pike Challenge Award, a youth development programme, which helps students to participate in outdoor activities and community service, and has become a sought-after inspirational speaker.
He said the trip to Antarctica ties in with both of those things.
The group will spend two days travelling to the Antarctic Peninsula via ship, leaving from Ushuaia in Argentina.
On arrival, they’ll work their way down the peninsula until they arrive at Mt Scott, which they will then climb, depending on the weather.
Pike said the mountain is heavily glaciated, which is a new challenge for him, and should take a whole day to ascend and descend.
‘‘We probably won’t have a big window of opportunity.’’
‘‘One of the biggest challenges is keeping track of the body clock and the little things we often forget about like sun protection.
‘‘Everything we do will be thought through. The biggest thing is good communication.
‘‘If something goes wrong, there’s no rescue team.’’
Pike said climbing with a prosthetic leg is also a challenge in itself because of the way the limb flexes. He has to make regular stops to let the limb ‘‘breathe’’.
‘‘It gives me an opportunity to stop and take everything in. I say ‘Am I good? Yes. Are my teammates good? Yes.’
‘‘In really cold conditions looking after your entire body is important.’’
While climbing with a prosthetic leg isn’t exactly common, Pike said he has had continued passion for the outdoors because he ‘‘loves the satisfaction I could get from being amongst the hills’’.
Scaling Mt Scott will be the ‘‘pinnacle of the trip,’’ but Pike is also looking forward to sharing his journey with the thousands of students participating in the William Pike Challenge.