Polar Exploration

Polar exploration has long-captured the imagination of some of the world's finest explorers, the call of the last terrestrial frontier reverberating far and wide. Even with the increasingly advanced technologies available by the time explorers were heading to the Poles, though, the history of polar exploration is dominated by stories of fatal expeditions and failed Pole attempts.

LET THE RACES BEGIN!

The race to the South Pole began with several reconnaissance missions to Antarctica in the first decade of the 20^th century. Englishman Robert Scott, a British naval commander, led the Discovery Expedition from 1901-1904. Sailors and scientists descended on the ice-capped continent for multiple years to survey the surrounding land, take meteorological and magnetic readings, and embark on several short-ranged travel expeditions. In the first year Scott, along with Ernest Shackleton and Edward Wilson, traveled to within 530 mi (850 km) of the South Pole before turning back. In the second year, building upon important lessons learned during the trouble-ridden first year's journey, Scott again set off, this time to explore the Polar Plateau. As opposed to the first year, the second overland trip went off far better. The expedition team ultimately returned to Britain in September 1904, regaled as heroes amongst the general public.

AMUNDSEN BESTS SCOTT

On December 14, 1911, Norwegian Roald Amundsen, along with five other people and 16 dogs, successfully reached the South Pole (90 deg 00’S).  In the spirit of true competition, Scott's expedition team reached the Pole just 35 days later. Unlike Amundsen's safe return, however, Scott's trip was littered with disasters. In the end, just 11 miles (+17.5km) from base camp after a nearly 800mi (1290km) trip back from the Pole, Scott and his team were forced to wait out a blizzard. Ten days later--still stormed in--all the men who had managed to escape death along the hazardous return finally met their end. Scott kept a journal throughout the expedition, and the final entries included some of the team's last days. On March 29, 1912, Scott wrote his final entry, including this line: "Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale."

FURTHER POLAR EXPLORATIONS

Although the South Pole had been reached, polar explorations hardly slowed.  Sir Ernest Shackleton, who had accompanied Scott on the earlier "Discovery" expedition, gained fame following a 1914 expedition he led to Antarctica. Hoping to be the first expedition to cross the continent, the ship got stuck in ice pack and eventually required a crew to row 800mi (1290km) in a lifeboat to South Georgia Island to retrieve a rescue boat for the other men.

LIFE ON THE ICE TODAY

Today most journeys across the continent’s icy sheet focus on science research, although expeditions still frequently occur. WINGS’ own 2008 Women of Discovery awardees Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen have completed several remarkable expeditions, including in 2001 when the two became the first women in history to cross Antarctica by ski and sail, a distance of 1,717 mile (2,747 km) that took 94 days.