15 Great polar expeditions The history of man and woman’s exploration of the North and South Pole is intensely inspiring. From the 19th century, heroic explorers have proved that humankind has a fire inside that can overcome the most inhospitably freezing regions. Some polar expeditions have ended euphorically, others tragically. Yet all have proved that refusing to admit defeat can result in amazing feats of human endurance. Here is our pick of some of the most amazing.
Ross, Sir James Clark (1800-62)
Sir James Clark Ross had intrepidity in his blood. Tutored by his uncle, Sir John Ross, a Scottish Arctic explorer, he entered the navy at the tender age of 11. In 1818 the pair boldly went in search of the Northwest Passage.
Sir James later studied Eskimo life while on several Arctic voyages between 1819 and 1827 with Sir William Edward Parry. In a further expedition (1829-1833) with his uncle, he discovered the north magnetic pole, the point at which the Earth’s magnetic pole points downwards vertically. In specially strengthened ships, namely Erebus and Terror, Ross reached further south than anyone hitherto.
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874-1922)
Rebelling against his father’s wishes to become a doctor, Irish explorer Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton joined the merchant navy at 16 with a view to explore the poles.
In 1914, on his third trip to the Antarctic, his ship became trapped in ice, and finally sank. The crew was forced to live on floating ice sheets. Shackleton took five crew members in April 1916 to save them, and after voyaging 1,300 KM of ocean in 16 days, all members of the expedition were saved.
Evidently, Shackleton was a poet too: “We had seen God in his splendors, heard the text that nature renders. We had reached the naked soul of man.”
Sir William Edward Parry (1893-1972)
Bath born Sir William Edward Parry was a contemporary of Sir John Ross. In 1818 he received command of the brig Alexander in the Arctic expedition under Ross. This expedition returned unsuccessful but Parry, confident, as he expressed it, "that attempts at Polar discovery had been hitherto relinquished just at a time when there was the greatest chance of succeeding", in the following year helmed a new Arctic expedition.
This expedition returned to England in November, 1820 after a voyage of almost unprecedented Arctic success, having accomplished more than half the journey from Greenland to Bering Strait, the completion of which solved the ancient problem of a Northwest Passage.
Sir John Franklin (mission to discover the North West passage, 1786-1847)
In 1845, after Sir James Ross declined, Sir John Franklin accepted a mission to complete the charting of the North West passage, some 311 miles of unexplored Arctic coastline. The Franklin Expedition set sail from Greenhithe, England, on 19 May 1845.The expedition, however, was last seen by Europeans on July 26th, 1845.
In 1854, the Scottish explorer Dr. John Rae discovered the true fate of Franklin party from talking to Inuit hunters. He was told they had become icebound, the men had tried to reach safety on foot but had succumbed to cold and some had resorted to cannibalism.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
The Guinness Book of World Records has badged Sir Ranulph Fiennes as “the world’s greatest living explorer.” It is fair distinction for a man that has led over 30 expeditions to the North and South Poles. Yet despite his vast achievements, Fiennes modestly quipped: “I go on expeditions for the same reason an estate agent sells houses - to pay the bills.”
Sir Ranulph and Charles Burton were the first men to reach both the North and South Poles.Fiennes’ Jack Russell dog, named Bothie, accompanied them.
S. A. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897
S.A Andree (1854-1897), the first Swedish balloonist, proposed a flight by hydrogen balloon from Svalbard to either Russia or Canada, hoping pass over the North Pole en route. The plan received patriotic enthusiasm in Sweden, a northern nation lagging in the race for the North Pole.
However, the trip was ill-fated and the three companions, including Nils Strindberg and Knut Fraenkel, perished. After it lifted off from Svalbard in July 1897, the balloon lost hydrogen and crashed after two days. Inadequately clothed and prepared, Andree, Strindberg and Fraenkel could go no further.
Ben Fogle/James Cracknell South Pole Race 2008
In 2008, television presenter Ben Fogle and Olympic rower James Cracknell followed in the footsteps of British arctic explorer Robert Scott. They raced against Norway to the South Pole, as Scott had against Roald Amundsen in 1911.
The punishing routine of skiing 14 hours a day made the Brits suffer. Cracknell and Ed Coats, the third team member, relied on steroids, antibiotics and inhalers to keep going.
After a promising start, Fogle, Cracknell and Coats eventually lost. "We couldn't have pushed any harder. If you do your best, you can't really be disappointed," Cracknell conceded afterwards.
Lewis Pugh
Explorer and climate change activist Lewis Pugh was the first person to complete a long distance swim at the North Pole. In recent years, he has undertaken a series of swims to raise climate change awareness.
His swim at the North Pole in 2007 coincided with the lowest coverage of Arctic sea ice ever recorded. Pugh disagrees with recent modeling, which predicts that the Arctic will be ice free in the summer by 2080. "And from what I have seen,” he said after his swim, “I think the Arctic will be largely free of summer sea ice within a decade.”
Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen
Environmentalists Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen in 2006 became the first people to reach the North Pole in summer. Their expedition was aimed to draw attention to global warming, which, they said, “is threatening polar bears with extinction.” On foot and by canoe were their methods of choice.
The morning before they reached their destination they encountered their first polar bear. Hearing footsteps beyond their tent, Larsen grabbed a flare and Dupre a camcorder. The bear then lumbered off. "It was like the polar bear was coming by to say thank you for what you're doing," said Dupre. "It was kind of symbolic."
Northeast Passage navigated by commercial vessel
During September 2009 two German container ships successfully navigated the Russian Northeast Passage across Arctic waters for the first time in a voyage considered impossible a few years ago. Ice breakers were not necessary as much of the ice was already broken.
Environmentalists have claimed that the opening of the route shows the speed at which the polar ice caps are melting, despite the promise of trade links between Russia’s Siberian coast and Europe.
The ships were loaded with about 2,000 tonnes of cargo and reached a Siberian power planton Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok on July 23rd.
Pen Hadow, Martin Hartley and Ann Daniels
Scientists know that global warming is thinning Arctic ice caps, but they’re not sure exactly how fast. So in February 2009, three British arctic explorers, Pen Hadow, Martin Hartley and Ann Daniels, went to gather data to see how much ice is really left.
During their 73-day, 270-mile (434 km) trek they took 1,500 measurements of sea-ice thickness and recorded 16,000 observations. They spent up to five hours a night drilling in temperatures as low as -94°F (-70°C).
But, Hartley, a seasoned polar photographer, said, "we were motivated by the knowledge that every measurement would be appreciated by a scientist sitting at a desk somewhere."
Hilary and Conrad Dickinson
The Dickinsons are an average family. They have two grown up children, enjoy a quiet night in watching television, and their dream night out is at their local Indian restaurant. But on November 1, 2004, they embarked on a demanding and dangerous project. Their goal? To be the first British team to make the 1,380 trip to the South Pole and back without relying on motorised vehicles.
The Dickinsons completed the journey in a record 70 days, using kite power for the return journey. By using kites, they completed the second leg in just 17 days at speeds of up to 25 mph – a record breaking trip.
Roald Amundsen (1872-1928)
“Everything went like a dance,” said Roald Amundsen in what would have to rank as one of the understatements of the Century. He was referring to the race for the South Pole, which his team had just won ahead of the British team led by Captain Robert Scott. The two nations had been battling it out for the honour of reaching the Pole first since the beginning of the Century.
Amundsen, with 4 companions, 52 dogs, and 4 sledges, set out on October 19, 1911. They reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, before Scott and his team.
Top Gear controversially conquers the North Pole
BBC TV show Top Gear was majorly criticised in 2007 when its presenters took a trip to the North Pole. The criticism revolved around the environmental impact of driving three cars – more precisely three Toyota Hilux’s – there. In Jeremy Clarkson and co’s eyes the trip was a success. What the presenters failed to mention, however, was that the journey was in fact an expedition to the 1996 position of the North Magnetic Pole. The whole trip took Clarkson and chums from April 25th 'til May 2nd.
Dean Karnazes
Greek-American ultra marathon runner Dean Karnazes had a mid-life crisis at 30. He was happily married and good at his job, but something was missing. “My fear is that I’ll wake up 30 years from now and be in the same place, only wrinkled and bald… and really fat. And bitter,” he told his wife. Since then he has dedicated his life to astonishing feats of endurance, including a marathon to the South Pole in -40 degrees.
“What kept me going? Easy. I live for the adventure….The higher the risk, the grander the sense of satisfaction from accomplishing what you set out to do.”