Product Description

At last we got away, on October 19. The weather for the past few days had not been altogether reliable; now windy, now calm - now snowing, now clear: regular spring weather, in other words...With this matter of fact sentence begins one of the most famous journeys in all exploration - Amundsen's conquest of the South Pole. The details of the tragic race with Scott are well known, but often forgotten is the sheer professionalism and courage which drove the Norwegian expedition on. Unlike the driven and tortured egos which bedeviled the British expeditions, the Norwegians worked purposefully as a team using the latest technology, and Amundsen acknowledges this openly when the Pole was finally achieved. I had determined that the act of planting it [the flag] - the historic event - should be equally divided among us all. It was not for one man to do this; it was for all who had staked their lives in the struggle, and held together through thick and thin. This was the only way in which I could show my gratitude to my comrades in this desolate spot...Five weather-beaten, frostbitten fists they were that grasped the pole, raised the waving flag in the air, and planted it as the first at the geographical South Pole. Amundsen's Antarctic expedition of 1910-12 is one of the most heroic achievements in the history of exploration. The competence and efficiency with which it was accomplished is testimony to an inspired and inspirational leader.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #850905 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

About the Author
While his conquest of the South Pole is remembered as the crowning achievement of Amundsen's life, it was only one amongst a number of extraordinary accomplishments. In 1897 he served in the Belgica, the first ship to overwinter in the Antarctic. From 1902 to 1906 he became the first person to navigate the fabled North-West Passage and locate the North Magnetic Pole. In 1910 he set sail in the Fram for the North Pole but turned his attention to the South Pole on hearing Peary's fraudulent claim. In December 1911 he reached the South Pole one month ahead of Scott. He then joined the select few to conquer the North-East Passage and in 1926 almost certainly became the first man genuinely to reach the North Pole by airship. In 1928 he died when the airship in which he was searching for the explorer Umberto Nobile crashed.

Customer Reviews

Roald Amundsen's account of the South Pole expedition 1910-1912
It's a fabulous book to read, very upbeat, full of life. He describes everything so well it is actually like being on the trip with them. The images of the dogs having a howling contest each day on the trip from Norway must have been anything but fun for the crew, he describes how if you could stop the dog who started it as soon as it started then the rest of the day was "quiet". They started with 97 dogs and they each took turns to start off the howling then the rest joined in, the image conjures up a pretty noisy ship!

He cared a great deal for his dogs (number one priority), the men and everything needed to get them to the pole and more importantly back again. He oversaw clothing, food, shelter, everything was checked to ensure the success of the expedition.

The South Pole is by no means a trip for the faint hearted, but to make the trip with a man with Amundsen's lively personality must have been a joy to the men who went with him. He had the utmost respect and admiration for other polar explorers including Shackleton and Scott. Amundsen succeeded because he put his faith in his dogs who were the engines of his expedition. Scott put his faith in the human body which doomed his attempt from day one. Amundsen must have been a very entertaining dinner party guest. I would recommend this book 100% to anyone who is interested in explorers, Polar or otherwise. It is very entertaining and a visual feast to the imagination.