#OnThisDay in 1911, Roald Amundsen departed the Bay of Whales on his expedition to the South Pole. Amundsen was accompanied by Sverre Hassel, Oscar Wisting, Olav Olavson Bjaaland and Hilmer Hanssen, with 4 sledges and 52 dogs. Amundsen's expedition party began their historic journey 13 days before Sir Robert Falcon Scott's South Pole Party departed. Their expedition team made excellent progress and by 17 November, had reached the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf facing the Transantarctic Mountains. Amundsen and his men had to find their own route through the mountain range as no party had attempted this course to the Polar Plateau before. After several days of perseverance and climbing to around 1,500 feet (460 m), the expedition party found what appeared to be a clear line to the Polar Plateau. 📸 Roald Amundsen, Nome, Alaska 1923. © Norsk Polar Institute #OTD #inspire #explore #discover #conserve #Antarctica

#OnThisDay in 1908, the Northern Party, a component of Shackleton's British Antarctic 'Nimrod' Expedition 1907-1909, set out for Victoria Land. During this time, Shackleton's South Pole party were on their own expedition the 'Great Southern Journey'. The Northern Party consisting of Alistair McKay, Douglas Mawson and Edgeworth David, set out along the coast of Victoria Land to carry out magnetic and geological work and try to reach the South Magnetic Pole. With no help from dogs or ponies the men left with sledges pulled by a motorcar adapted for the Antarctic conditions! By early November the party were fast running out of food, having to ration themselves quite strictly. They endured inevitable hardships of Antarctic travel at that time - brushes with disaster, snow blindness, sunburn and frostbite. By mid-January 1909, the Northern Party were successful in their journey and reached the South Magnetic Pole 16th January, facing a return journey of 290 miles! After their success, the party had a mere fifteen days to meet their ship, 'Nimrod', before it left the Antarctic. The men reached the rendezvous point on 2 February 1908, but 'Nimrod' had already passed them, unable to see them in the drifting snow. Two days later, 'Nimrod' returned after picking up a party undertaking geological work from Ferrar Glacier. In the excitement to get on board, Mawson fell 5.5metres down a crevasse and had to be rescued before the weakened party could finally board the ship. 📸 McKay, Mawson and David at the South Magnetic Pole, 1909, Alexander Turnbull Library. #inspire #explore #discover #conserve #Antarctica