Route and conditions
From the starting point in Hvalbukta (the Bay of Whales), where Amundsen’s base camp Framheim was situated in 1911, the route traverses more than 700 km inland over Rossisen (the Ross Ice Shelf), up Axel Heibergbreen (the Axel Heiberg Glacier) and onward to the Pole.
No one has taken this route since 1911. Amundsen set out with 52 dogs and returned with 11. We will not be using dogs to pull our gear. Dogs are now banned from Antarctica for fear they might introduce species that would perturb the ecosystem.
We do not intend to replicate what Amundsen and his men accomplished 100 years ago. But even if the terrain we cross is known, and our equipment is state-of-the-art, it is still a long, cold, windy journey – and the South Pole Plateau is still at 3000 m elevation. Will we be able to maintain the same pace as in 1911?