On December 14, 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his crew became the first team to successfully reach the South Pole. In what was essentially the space race of the early twentieth century, explorers, financed by their nations, began extravagant and well publicized attempts at reaching the extreme points of the globe. Amundsen, who had dreamt of visiting the North Pole since he was a child, had initially planned to head north with this state-provided ship and crew, but upon hearing that expeditions had already set out which he had no hope of catching up to, Amundsen decided to turn south and claim the South Pole as his prize.
The key to his success, he claims, was in his preparation. There is an old adage among outdoorsmen that “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” Amundsen eschewed the heavy woolen garb often used for arctic (and antarctic) exploration at the time, instead employing traditional Inuit reindeer skins in addition to the waterproof gabardine fabrics manufactured by the Burberry company, then an outdoors clothing house. All of the equipment including skis, sleds, boots, and tents, were specially constructed for the mission and fully approved for their weight, ease of transport, and ease use considerations by Amundsen himself.
Another edge Amundsen held over his competitor Robert Scott, an English explorer trying to reach the South Pole before our Norwegian hero, was his use of dogs. This was somewhat controversial in that many thought dogs would actually prove a hindrance through their inability to cope with the harsh climactic conditions of the southern tundra, and that many explorers believed these achievements should be attained by man’s own ambulation without the assistance of machines or animals. Additionally, dogs would add to the amount of food necessary for the completion of the expedition. Amundsen, who would prove himself right, argued that the hearty Norwegian sled dogs would be well suited to the difficult weather conditions, and solved the issue of food in an ingenious, yet decidedly gruesome manner. As the food stores were consumed and the load lightened, fewer dogs would be necessary to haul the load. Those dogs could then be eaten for food themselves by the remaining men and dogs. Ultimately, this meant that Amundsen could bring less food, which was heavy, at the outset, and that his load would get lighter and lighter as the expedition wore on.
They set out from their camp on the Antarctic coast in late October, the time of year considered “summer” in the perpetually snowy southern extremes. The crew of five men and fifty-two dogs traveled nearly 15 miles a day, stopping every three miles to build large snow blocks to help them find their way back home on the return leg. After well over a month of constant travel, climbing glaciers, dodging crevasses, and remorsefully butchering the dogs they’d grown so fond of, Amundsen’s party reached the South Pole. It was difficult for them to determine the exact location of the Pole, and so they erected a camp and essentially circled it in increasing rings to ensure that one of them at some point would cross the actual South Pole. Upon departing, knowing for certain they had beaten Scott there, Amundsen, in a bid to establish proof of their achievement, especially so if they failed to return to their base camp, left a letter for the Norwegian King with a request that Scott ensure its safe delivery. The letter would never make it.
Amundsen and his crew made it back to base camp, safely completing their nearly 2,000 mile journey in ninety-nine days, fewer than expected. All five men returned in good health, along wtih just 11 of the dogs they'd set out with. It wasn’t for another two years that Amundsen finally learned that Scott had reached the Pole over a month after his own team, but had failed in completing the return journey, his entire team succumbing to frostbite and the cold. Ultimately, it was Amundsen’s preparation and wise decision making that allowed his team to go deep and emerge from the vast open deserts of the Antarctic and place their names in the record books for their unprecedented achievement.