WHILE the rest of us wrapped up warm over Christmas and New Year, former rugby star Richard Parks battled freezing temperatures and gales in a bid to trek solo to the South Pole.

The former Monmouth School pupil, who played for Wales and the Dragons before forging a new career as an explorer, set off on December 18 from the edge of Antartica in a bid to beat the world record.

Parks already holds the British record for the fastest trek to the South Pole, set in 2014, but the worst weather in eight years, with temperatures down to -30C, saw his latest record push brought to a halt after skiing 306 miles.

Doctors warned the 41-year-old by radio that he was “on the edge of a cliff” on New Year’s Eve – the 14th day of his expedition – after trekking just five miles that day, with his body beset by exhaustion, injuries and early warning signs of frostbite risk in his foot.

He rested on New Year’s Day, and tried again on Wednesday, January 2, but was forced to call a halt after another two miles.

He was airlifted off the ice on Friday (January 4) and arrived in Punta Arenas in Chile in the early hours of Sunday having lost more than a stone in weight.

Hours after deciding to stop his record bid, he said: “It was important to see how the foot felt after resting on New Year’s Day, but it was really important that if I was beginning to feel any deterioration that I would stop immediately and that’s what I did.

“I am very run down, I have been pushing myself at the limit for quite a while now and when I spoke to the ALE (Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions) doctor at Union Glacier Base Camp, he felt that the foot was the first sign of a specific breakdown in my body above and beyond general ulcers, aches and pains, which I also have.

“I have a small area on the ball of my left toe where I have a loss of sensation – it’s not frostbite, but it is the beginning of a cold injury.

“The conditions were changing every hour. That wouldn’t normally be a problem if I wasn’t so empty.

“I am absolutely shattered from that first push in the expedition. I have had to work harder than I have ever had to work before just to keep within touching distance of the world record in horrific conditions.

“I really don’t have a lot left in the tank and that is making life really challenging. My body is breaking down significantly as a result of that exertion – it’s just not recovering quick enough.”

Doctors warned that if things got worse, his condition could quickly spiral out of control.Problems surfaced on New Year’s Eve after battling through horrendous weather.

“I hit a period of heavy soft snow and didn’t quite have the energy to push through it like I did in the early parts of the expedition,” said Parks, whose feats include climbing Mount Everest.

“This also meant that I wasn’t able to move quick enough to generate body heat. I also noticed I had a loss of sensation in my left foot so I pitched the tent, called it a day early.”

Parks set the British record for the 715-mile South Pole solo trek five years ago in 29 days, 19 hours and 24 minutes.

He was supported by Team Quest, a collaborative group based in South Wales, which allowed students to help design and manufacture components of his expedition equipment, from his polar sled to his food rations, as part of a learning experience.