HAMPSHIRE war veteran Jake Gardner is no stranger to a challenge. 

He has toured Afghanistan, undergone intense army training and even had his arm ripped off in a life-changing accident, but now he faces one of his biggest challenges yet. 

The ex-solider has joined a team of adventure athletes in the hope of climbing into the history books as the first disabled team to complete the notorious Explorers Grand Slam which will see the group scaling the highest peaks on each of the seven continents and walking unsupported to the geographic North and South Poles.

The Adaptive Grand Slam team is being lead by fellow war vet and mountaineer Martin Hewitt, who crossed the Geographic North Pole alongside Prince Harry as part of the Walking With The Wounded team.

The group has already completed four of the nine missions - North Pole, Mount McKinley, Mount Elbrus and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Now the 27-year-old has left all of his home comforts in Southampton to join the team - a mix of able-bodied and disabled people most of whom are ex-service men and women - for his first expedition, climbing Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America. 

This will be team’s second attempt to reach the summit the mountain, after being forced to abandon their initial climb due to severe weather conditions in December 2015. 

“I am really excited, but I am also nervous about the uncontrollables - which is silly.

“I am worried about things like the weather, altitude sickness and getting injured,” said Jake who lives in Bitterne. 

Two weeks into 2013, Jake, a former RAF gunner, was injured when he was chasing civilians away from a controlled explosion in Afghanistan.

Jake was thrown out of the army vehicle which was travelling at more that 60mph, his arm snapped on impact and he had bone-deep lacerations on his legs.

Flown back to Camp Bastion and then to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Jake’s injuries meant he was forced to leave the armed forces.

The three-week expedition, which is being supported by wealth management company Quilter Cheviot, part of Old Mutual Wealth, will see the group reach the halfway point in its ultimate Grand Slam goal of becoming the first disabled team in history to complete the challenge.

“I am confident in my own abilities and in my training, it was nice to see I could keep up with people who did not have any injuries.

In his spare time, Jake trained as often as possible at Pure Gym in Bitterne; he regularly carried 20kg on his back, whilst using the Hill Climber - which is the equivalent of walking up 200 stairs.

“I hope to be an asset and not a hindrance. I want to be able to motivate the team and have fun,” he said. 

The AGS world record attempt will raise money for The Adaptive Grand Slam Foundation, a newly-formed charitable organisation which will support a range of charities that support to members of the disabled community.