Roald Amundsen

Fram Expedition (1909-1912): The Story

Expedition members
          On Friday, September 8, 1911, the team sped off across the snow...eight men with sledges pulled by 86 dogs. "The going was splendid", covering 31 miles over the next three days. However, on the morning of the 11th they awoke to frigid temperatures nearing -70°F. The next day, conditions worsened as the fluid in their compasses froze solid. They decided to make a run for the depot, unload their sledges and race back to Framheim. The weather co-operated and they arrived at the depot on Thursday. The next evening Hanssen and Stubberud discovered their heels were frostbitten. A number of the dogs were suffering from the cold; two dogs froze to death in their sleep. At 7:00 the next morning they set off for Framheim.

          The first two sledges moved so rapidly and the sledge teams broke up, with Bjaaland and Stubberud reaching Framheim first at 6 pm, while Johansen and Prestrud finally stumbled into camp at 12:30 am. Johansen and Prestrud were totally exhausted, having found Framheim in the dark and fog only by following the barking of the dogs. At breakfast the next morning, Amundsen asked Johansen why it had taken them so long to make it back to Framheim. Johansen exploded, angrily accusing Amundsen of displaying poor leadership qualities when the group had been allowed to split up. Amundsen never forgave Johansen for this confrontation. Amundsen's excuse to the others was that Hanssen was suffering severely from frostbite... the men were not totally convinced.

Johansen
          At noon, Amundsen announced his change in plans. Amundsen would lead one party to the Pole while Prestrud--with Johansen--would lead another party to explore King Edward VII Land. If the Pole party were not successful, at least there might still be a "first" gained for Norway. Amundsen then spoke to each man individually (ignoring Johansen), asking for his pledge of loyalty...all gave it.

          On October 20, 1911, Amundsen, Bjaaland, Wisting, Hassel and Hanssen departed with four sledges each pulled by 13 dogs. Making good progress, they arrived at 80°S depot on the 24th. They uncovered the provisions and gave the dogs a feast of seal meat and blubber. The next day the party left with all five men on skis. Lunch was "nothing very luxurious… three or four dry oatmeal biscuits, that was all. If one wanted a drink, one could mix snow with the biscuit". They arrived at 82°S depot on November 4. Two days later they left, accomplishing 20 miles each day.

          On November 11, peaks of mountains were seen in the distance, which Amundsen later named Queen Maud's Range, after the Queen of Norway. At the foot of the range they planned for the final run to the Pole, some 340 miles away. The final plan was to take 30 days of supplies, along with the remaining 42 dogs, and make the climb. After reaching the top, 24 of the dogs would be shot, using the remaining 18 in the final dash for the Pole. Once reached, six more would be slaughtered to provide food for the remaining twelve on the return trip. On November 17 they started the climb up the Axel Heiberg Glacier. The weather was warm and four days later, on November 21, they reached the summit. Twenty-four dogs were shot and the party stayed at "The Butcher's Shop", as it was now called, for four more days before heading off into a raging blizzard. Having waited two days longer than planned, they pushed on. For the next ten days they struggled against driving snow in 35 mph winds and thick fog. At last they reached the plateau, only to be confronted by "The Devil's Ballroom", a glacier with a thin crust of snow covering a number of dangerous, deep crevasses. The last major obstacle.

South, at last
          On December 8, with the sun shining brightly, they passed Shackleton's farthest south of 88°23'S, only 95 miles from the South Pole. The men had many sores and frostbitten faces, yet still the party pushed on. At 3:00 pm, on Friday, December 14, 1911, there was a simultaneous cry of "Halt!" as the sledge meters registered their arrival at the South Pole. They had achieved their goal. Symbolic of their struggle in unity, each of the men, with their weathered and frostbitten hands, grasped the Norwegian flag and planted it firmly at the geographical South Pole. Amundsen named the plain King Haakon VII's Plateau. A tent was erected, naming it Poleheim, with Amundsen leaving a message inside for Scott, along with a letter for King Haakon. Thirty-nine days later the party returned to Framheim, with all five men and 11 dogs "hale and hearty". The month-long voyage back to Tasmania was a frustrating time for Amundsen, who was now quite anxious to be the first to announce the news of their achievement. On March 7, 1912, Amundsen finally cabled his brother Leon with the historic news.

Roald Amundsen: Brief

Roald Amundsen: Timeline