Race to the South Pole
After Robert Peary made his successful attempt on the North Pole in 1909, the race for the South Pole began. Because it was the last unconquered place on Earth, the South Pole held a huge fascination for explorers, but it was a daunting place to visit.
Unlike the North Pole, the South Pole is covered by land. The enormous, frozen continent of Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth, with large glaciers and ridges of mountains, making travelling very difficult. In addition, icebergs and pack ice surround the land far into the Southern Ocean. Two people prepared themselves to conquer this icy wilderness. A British explorer, Robert Scott who had led a scientific expedition to Antarctica in 1901, publicly announced his plans to lead an expedition to the South Pole. And as his plans became know around the world, a second explorer from Norway, Roald Amundsen joined the race. However, Amundsen kept his plans secret so that Scott would not speed up his preparations and as history has shown, Amundsen was better equipped and prepared than Scott.
Amundsen's camp on arrival in Antarctica - Illustrated London News April 1912
Both expeditions arrived in Antarctica in January 1911 and spent the winter either side of the Ross Ice Shelf. Amundsen’s group was first to set off from their camp on 19th October and Scott set off on the 24th November. Amundsen was better prepared than Scott, having already made a number of journeys to leave food stores at different points along the route. Both groups faced terrible weather and dangerous situations as they climbed over glaciers and crevasses, but Amundsen traveled faster than Scott because Scott used ponies as well as dogs to haul the sledges, but the ponies died in the cold.
On the 14th December 1911, Amundsen and his companions arrived at the South Pole. The Norwegians spent a couple of days at the South Pole before leaving behind the Norwegian flag, some black marker flags to mark out the spot where they had calculated the South Pole to be, a tent and a letter to Scott. The letter read
Dear Captain Scott,
As you are probably the first to reach this area after us, I will ask you kindly to forward this letter to King Haakon VII. If you can use any of the articles left in the tent, please do not hesitate to do so. With kind regards. I wish you a safe return.
Yours truly,
Roald Amundsen
By now Scott’s expedition had run into further trouble as Scott was relying on human strength to pull the sledges. As each sledge weighed 160kg – the equivalent weight of 2 adults – the group struggled to complete their expedition.
Scott at the Pole - L to R Wilson, Evans, Scott, Oates, Bowers
On the 16th January, Scott and his group realised that their worst fears had come true as they spotted a black marker flag in the distance. In his diary Scott wrote: “The worst has happened, or nearly the worst…The Norwegians have forstalled us and are first at the Pole”. Bitterly disappointed, he continued to write: “Many thoughts come and discussions we have had…All the day dreams must go; it will be a wearisome return!”
Two days later, when Scott and his party reached the South Pole, Scott wrote: “Great God! This is an awful place”.
Amundsen’s expedition planning and equipment ensured that all his party returned home safely. Sadly, Scott and his team all died. The race to the South Pole was over, and although Amundsen was the winner, Scott continued to fascinate people around the world, because of the tragic end to his expedition
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Discovery of Antarctica
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