Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen
          Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), a Norwegian polar explorer, led the first successful expedition to reach the South Pole. Originally his plan was to use Fridtjof Nansen's, another polar explorer, ship the Fram to attempt to reach the North Pole. Unfortunately, Robert Peary had reached it first. This made him decide to head for Antarctica to try for the South Pole instead. He kept his change of plan secret to keep faith with his backers. Later, Robert Scott of Britain announced his expedition to the South Pole and it became even more important for Amundsen to keep his plans secret.

Fram

          Setting sail in August 1910 on his ship Fram, Amundsen sent a telegraph message to Robert Scott to inform him of his own Antarctic expedition. Amundsen established his base camp at Framheim, in the Bay of Whales at the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. By that time, all his expedition members have already been informed of the change and they had all been agreeable. Amundsen wintered there to prepare for the journey. His first attempt on the South Pole in September 1911 failed due to bad weather and the group had split up. On October 20, 1911, he set out with four men, using sledges and 52 dogs. They reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, winning the race to the South Pole. They spent three days at the pole and then left a Norwegian flag and letters to the king of Norway and Scott, before returning.

          Amundsen was successful due to his knowledge of polar conditions, his careful planning and his pragmatic approach. His use of dogs was extremely effective as the dogs were very efficient in the Antarctic conditions. Of course, good weather was a great help during his second attempt.

Ernest Shackleton

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