Amundsen

AMUNDSEN – THE PROFESSIONAL AMONG AMATEURS

CHARTING YOUR COURSE & ALTERING IT IF CIRCUMSTANCES DEMAND

SEPTEMBER 1909 – AMUNDSEN –VETERAN OF THE ILL-FATED BELGICA EXPEDITION OF 1897 - SECURES `FRAM’, SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO RESIST EXTREME PRESSURES OF PACK ICE, FROM POLAR LEGEND, NANSEN
AMUNDSEN DOES EXHAUSTIVE FUND-RAISING WORK IN AMERICA - VISITS LONDON FOR ENDORSEMENT OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY – GETS GRANT FROM NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENT & MORTGAGES HIS HOUSE IN A QUEST TO BE FIRST TO REACH THE NORTH GEOGRAPHIC POLE.
SCHEDULED TO START JANUARY 1910 – NEW YORK TIMES ANNOUNCES THAT ROBERT PEARY HAS REACHED NORTH POLE 6 APRIL 1909
AMUNDSEN SHATTERED – DESPAIR SHORTLIVED – WITH THE NORTH GONE THE SOUTH REMAINED.
THINKING AND ACTING STRATEGICALLY - INFORMING NO-ONE OF HIS INTENTIONS – LEAST OF ALL NANSEN – FOR FEAR OF LOSING HIS BACKERS – AMUNDSEN DOES VOLTE FACE AND HEADS SOUTH.
13 SEPTEMBER THE TIMES OF LONDON ANNOUNCES SCOTT’S PLANS TO MOUNT ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION TO THE POLE. IT IS NOW A RACE. SECRECY ON AMUNDSEN’S PART IS VITAL TO FORESTALL SCOTT.
AMUNDSEN’S PREPARATIONS ARE EXTENSIVE & EXHAUSTIVE, LEAVING NOTHING TO CHANCE
CLOTHING, EQUIPMENT, FOOD, DOGS, THE CHOICE OF MEN ARE ALL CONSIDERED WITH ABSOLUTE PRECISION AND UTMOST CARE.
THE KEY TO HIS SUCCESS IN THE END, WAS DOGS. AMUNDSEN WAS PRACTICAL AND UNSENTIMENTAL ABOUT THEM AND HE CHOSE 97 OF THE NORTH GREENLAND BREED, THE HARDIEST AND BEST ABLE TO COPE WITH EXTREME POLAR CONDITIONS – AND EXPERT DOG DRIVER, SVERRE HASSEL.

GET BUY-IN AND COMMITMENT

AMUNDSEN ONLY TOLD HIS THREE MOST TRUSTED COMPANIONS. HE WROTE TO NANSEN ON THE PASSAGE TO MADIERA AND IN MADEIRA TOLD A DUMBFOUNDED CREW OF HIS INTENTIONS, PINNING A MAP OF ANTARCTICA TO THE MAINMAST. HE WAS VERY DIRECT: “IT IS MY INTENTION TO SAIL SOUTHWARDS, LAND A PARTY ON THE SOUTHERN CONTINENT AND TRY TO REACH THE SOUTH POLE.”
AS SHREWD AND WILY AS A FOX, HE APPROACHED EACH MAN PERSONALLY TO JOIN HIM ON THIS HISTORIC JOURNEY – OR FEEL FREE TO RETURN HOME, PASSAGE PAID.
HIS BROTHER LEON AMUNDSEN POSTED THE MAIL AND CABLED SCOTT BEGINNING OCTOBER BY WHICH TIME THE DYE WAS CAST: BEG LEAVE TO INFORM YOU FRAM PROCEEDING ANTARCTIC. AMUNDSEN.
AMUNDSEN CHOSE THE BAY OF WHALES ON THE ROSS ICE SHELF AS HIS MOORING BECAUSE IT PUT HIS EXPEDITION 97 KMS OR 60 MILES CLOSER TO THE POLE THAN SCOTT’S BASE AT ROSS ISLAND, MC MURDO SOUND.
AMUNDSEN GOT DOWN TO BUSINESS IMMEDIATELY, STARTING TO UNLOAD THE NEXT DAY, ON 15 JANUARY. FOR 3 WEEKS 5 DOG-SLEDGES SHUTTLED BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN FRAM AND THE BASE CAMP 3 KILOMETERS INLAND WITH 46 DOGS AND 5 MEN SHIFTING 10 TONS OF SUPPLIES DAILY. MEANWHILE THE CARPENTER ASSEMBLED THE PREFABRICATED HUT.
THEY WERE VISITED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY SCOTT’S TERRA NOVA AND THE NEXT DAY THEY BEGAN DEPOT LAYING. IN THREE WEEKS DEPOTS WERE LAID AT LATITUDES 80°S, 81°S 82°S WITH MORE THAN 1.5 TONS OF SUPPLIES CARRIED TO WITHIN 770 KILOMETERS OR 480 MILES OF THE POLE.
FRAM SET SAIL FOR BUENOS AIRES LEAVING NINE MEN IN THE BAY OF WHALES CAMP AS WINTER SET IN.

DEVELOP POTENTIAL

AMUNDSEN, CONSCIOUS OF PROBLEMS ARISING FROM CRAMPED CROWDED QUARTERS, INTRODUCED A STRICT ROUTINE. DOMESTIC CHORES WERE SHARED EQUALLY.
WITH PRECISION PLANNING, SKILLED WOODWORKER OLAV BJAALAND AND CARPENTER JORGEN STUBBERUD REMODELLED AND OVERHAULED ALL THE EXPEDTION’S SLEDGES, DISPENSING WITH ANY EXCESS WEIGHT.
BY CAREFUL PLANNING, THEY LIGHTENED THE EQUIPMENT SUBSTANTIALLY, WITHOUT COMPROMISING ITS STRENGTH.
BJAALAND PREPARED TWO PAIRS OF SKIS FOR EACH MAN AND REDUCED THE SLEDGES BY ALMOST A THRID OF THEIR WEIGHT. ACHIEVED SIMILAIR WEIGHT REDUCTIONS WITH SLEDGING CASES.
IN TINY SNOWCAVE OFF STOREROOM WISITNG WORKED THROUGH THE WINTER ON ASEWING MACHINE MAKING WEIGHT SAVING REDUCTIONS IN EQUIPMENT BY SEWING NEW TENTS OF WINDCLOTH, WITH BUILT-IN FLOORS. THESE TENTS WERE 8.8LB (4KGS) LIGHTER, THAN THE ONES THEY HAD BROUGHT WITH THEM.
COOK LINDSTROM KEPT THEM EXTREMELY WELL FED WITH WHOLESOME, VERY NUTRITIOUS FOOD. AMUNDSEN WAS WELL AWARE OF THE EFFECTS OF SCURVY FROM HIS 1897 BELGICA EXPEDITION TO ANTARCTICA. HE HAD A HEALTHY RESPECT FOR A BALANCED DIETWITH ADEQUATE VITAMIN C. EACH TEAM MEMBER HAD SPECIFIC DAILY TASKS TO PERFORM IN THE CAMP AND THEY THEN GOT TOGETHR IN THE EVENINGS OVER DINNER.
DESPITE THE EXCELLENT PREPARATION AMUNDSEN WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT ONE MEMBER WHOM NANSEN HAD CONVINCED HIM TO TAKE, HJALMAR JOHANSEN. JOHANSEN’S TEMPERAMENT, HIS REFORMED ALCOHOLISM AND THE FACT THAT HE CONSTITUTED A THREAT AS A POSSIBLY MORE EXPERIENCED POLAR EXPLORER, NIGGLED AMUNDSEN. HE WAS ALSO CONSTANTLY CONCERNED ABOUT SCOTT AND HOW FAR THEY HAD ADVANCED. HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT THEIR MOTORISED SLEDGES, ALTHOUGH HE SERIOUSLY DOUBTED THEIR EFFICIENCY.

STAY FOCUSED & DELIVER EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS

WITH THE RETURN OF THE SUN, TWO MORE VERY FRUSTRATING MONTHS PASSED BEFORE THEY COULD BEGIN THEIR JOURNEY - WITH THE DOGS HARNESSED EACH DAY WITHOUT A RUN - THEY NEEDED CLEAR VISIBILITY TO THE FIRST BASE AT 80° S AS THERE WAS A RISK OF MISSING IT.
THEY STARTED OFF DISASTEROUSLY WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING TO A NUMBING - 56°C (-59°F). THEY RETURNED TO FRAMHEIM FROSTBITTEN, DIVIDED AND IN DISARRAY.
THE NEXT MORNING AN ARGUMENT ENSUED AS JOHANSEN ACCUSED AMUNDSEN OF ALLOWING THE GROUP TO SPLIT UP, OF PANICKING AND OF BAD LEADERSHIP
AMUNDSEN DID NOT RESPOND. HE HAD FEARED A CONFRONTATION WITH THE ONE MAN ON THE EXPEDITION WITH EXPERIENCE TO MATCH HIS OWN. THIS SIGNALLED THE END OF THE GREAT UNITY AND AMUNDSEN NEVER FORGAVE JOHANSEN.
AMUNDSEN CHANGED HIS PLANS. HE WOULD LEAD ONE PARTY TO THE POLE AND JOHANSEN WOULD LEAD A SECOND PARTY TO EXPLORE KING EDWARD VII LAND. HE SPOKE TO EACH MAN EXACTING A PLEDGE OF LOYALTY, IGNORING JOHANSEN.
ON 20 OCTOBER, 5 MEMBERS, AMUNDSEN, BJAALAND, WISTING, HASSEL AND HANSSEN, DEPARTED WITH FOUR SLEDGES WITH 13 DOGS EACH. THEY MADE GOOD PROGRESS, REACHING THE FIRST DEPOT ON 24^THOCTOBER, DIGGING OUT STORES AND PROVISIONS, FEEDING THE DOGS A FEAST AND LEAVING THE NEXT DAY WITH ALL 5 MEN ON SKIS.
THEY DETECTED A SNOW CAIRN THEY HAD BUILT IN APRIL STANDING AS THEY HAD LEFT IT. THEY DECIDED TO BUILD 150 SIMILAIR CAIRNS AT INTERVALS ON THE RUN SOUTH WITH A WRITTEN RECORD INSIDE WITH DISTANCE AND BEARING TO THE NEXT ONE.
THEY ATE LUNCH EACH DAY AS THEY BUILT THE BEACON. AMUNDSEN AND NANSEN’S EXPERIENCE WITH ESKIMOS KEPT THE DIET BASIC, REJECTING TEA AND COFFEE AS UNDESIRABLE STIMULANTS.
THEY REACHED THE THIRD AND LAST DEPOT AT 82°S ON 4 NOVEMBER. THEY TRAVELLED ON AVERAGE 32 KMS (20MILES) A DAY IN 5 HOURS, BUILDING THEIR CAIRN AND LUNCHING FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF AND RESTING FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY.
11^TH NOVEMBER THEY ENCOUNTERED THE TRANS-ANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS. AMUNDSEN NAMED THE MOUNTAINS AHEAD OF HIM, QUEEN MAUD’S RANGE AFTER THE QUEEN OF NORWAY.
THEY CAMPED AT THE FOOT TO DISCUSS STRATEGY. THEY WERE 550KM FROM THE POLE AND HAD 42 DOGS LEFT.
THE PLAN WAS TO TAKE PROVISIONS AND EQUIPMENT FOR 30 DAYS AND MAKE THE CLIMB WITH ALL THE DOGS.
AT THE TOP THEY WOULD SHOOT 24 THAT WEREN’T NEEDED AND RUN WITH THE REMAINING 18 FOR THE POLE. ON ARRIVAL 6 MORE WOULD BE SLAUGHTERED TO PROVIDE FOOD FOR THE REMAINING 12 ON RETURN.
17 NOVEMBER THEY ASCENDED THE AXEL HEIBERG GLACIER COVERING ALMOST 12 MILES BEFORE CAMPING. 21 NOVEMBER THEY REACHED THE TOP (SPENDING FOUR DAYS LONGER THAN PLANNED DUE TO A BLIZZARD) AT `THE BUTCHER’S SHOP’ – THE PLACE THEY HAD SLAUGHTERED THE DOGS.
FOR 10 DAYS, 5 MEN AND 18 DOGS STRUGGLED IN APPALLING WEATHER, WINDS, STICKY, DRIVING SNOW AND THICK FOG, BLIZZARD AFTER BLIZZARD UNTIL THEY REACHED THE POLAR PLATEAU AND THE DEVIL’S BALLROOM – A GLACIER WITH A THIN CRUST OF SNOW COVERING A SERIES OF TREACHEROUS CREVASSES.
8 DECEMBER PASSED SHACKLETON’S FURTHEST SOUTH - 88°23’S.
WITH 153KM OR 95 MILES LEFT, HUNGER AND EXHAUSTION MADE THE DOGS AGGRESSIVE. THE MEN WERE FROSTBITTEN WITH SORES AND SCABS.
AMUNDSEN GREW INCREASINGLY TENSE. HAD SCOTT BEATEN HIM? THE TEMPTATION TO PUSH HARDER AND GO FLAT OUT WAS UNBEARABLE.
3 O’ CLOCK FRIDAY 14 DECEMBER 1911, A SIMULTANEOUS CRY OF “HALT!” WAS MADE BY THE SLEDGE DRIVERS. SLEDGE METERS REGISTERED THEIR ARRIVAL AT THE POLE, WHERE THEY MADE REPEATED OBSERVATIONS TO ENSURE THEY WERE AS CLOSE TO THEIR GOAL AS POSSIBLE.
AMUNDSEN NAMED THE PLAIN: KING HAAKON VII’S PLATEAU
THEY RAISED THE NORWEGIAN FLAG AND PITCHED A TENT. INSIDE THE TENT AMUNDSEN LEFT A NOTE TO SCOTT AND A LETTER FOR HIM TO DELIVER TO KING HAAKON OF NORWAY, MANY WOULD ARGUE CRUELLY RELEGATING HIM TO THE UNDIGNIFIED ROLE OF MESSENGER BOY.
AMUNDSEN RECORDED THEIR SUCCESS IN HIS DIARY: “SO WE ARRIVED AND WERE ABLE TO PLANT OUR FLAG AT THE GEOGRAPHIC SOUTH POLE. GOD BE THANKED!”
THREE DAYS LATER THEY RETURNED TO FRAMHEIM. THEIR JOURNEY WENT PRETTY MUCH AS AMUNDSEN HAD PLANNED IT – WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT HE WAS FIRST TO THE SOUTH POLE AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE EARTH – RATHER THAN THE NORTH POLE, WHICH WAS HIS ORIGINAL INTENTION.
THEY ARRIVED AT FRAMHEIM WITH 5 MEN AND 11 DOGS `ALL HALE AND HEARTY’
THE VOYAGE BACK TO TASMANIA WAS A LONG AND FRUSTRATING MONTH FOR AMUNDSEN. ANXIOUS TO BE THE FIRST IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD WITH THE NEWS, SCOTT STILL HAUNTED HIM.
7 MARCH 1912, AMUNDSEN CABLED HIS BROTHER LEON WITH THE NEWS – HIS VICTORY WAS COMPLETE, OR SO HE THOUGHT.
IN FACT, IRONICALLY, IT WAS COMPLETELY OVERSHADOWED BY SCOTT’S EPIC FAILURE TO REACH THE POLE FIRST AND THE SUBSEQUENT TRAGIC DEATH OF HIS DESPONDENT PARTY ON THEIR RETURN.