FIRST...
People to reach the South Pole
A Norwegian party of five men led by Captain
Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole at
11 a.m. on 14 Dec 1911. They had marched for
53 days, with dog sleds, from the Bay of Whales.Motorized expedition to the South Pole
On 4 Jan 1958, Sir Edmund Hillary (NZ) led the
New Zealand component of the Commonwealth
Trans-Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole,
the first party to do so in motor vehicles. The
team used five modified Ferguson tractors, fitted
with full tracks and an extra wheel on each side.
The tracks were removable so that wheels could
be used when conditions allowed. The tractors
were painted red to make them easier to spot.Crossing of the Arctic
The British Trans-Arctic Expedition left Point
Barrow, Alaska, USA, on 21 Feb 1968 and arrived
at the Seven Islands archipelago, north-east
of Spitsbergen, 464 days later on 29 May 1969.
This involved a haul of 4,699 km (2,920 mi) with
a drift of 1,100 km (683 mi), compared with the
straight-line distance of 2,674 km (1,662 mi).
The team comprised Wally Herbert (leader),
Major Ken Hedges, RAMC, Allan Gill and Dr Roy
Koerner (glaciologist), plus 40 huskies.
This achievement also represents the
longest traverse across the Arctic Ocean.Surface circumnavigation via both poles
Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton (both
UK) of the British Trans-Globe Expedition
travelled south from Greenwich, London, UK,
on 2 Sep 1979, crossing the South Pole on 15 Dec
1980 and the North Pole on 10 Apr 1982. They
returned to Greenwich on 29 Aug 1982 after
a 56,000-km (34,800-mi) journey.Person to walk to both poles
Robert Swan (UK) led a three-man expedition
that reached the South Pole on 11 Jan 1986.
He also led the eight-man Icewalk expedition,
which reached the North Pole on 14 May 1989.Person to reach the North Pole solo
On 14 May 1986, Dr Jean-Louis Étienne (FRA)
reached the North Pole after 63 days, travelling
solo and without dogs. He had the benefit of
being resupplied several times on the journey.The Poles
ADVENTURES
FIRST
COMPLETION OF
THE TERRA NOVA
EXPEDITION
The British Antarctic
Expedition, aka
the Terra Nova
Expedition, was
Captain Robert
Falcon Scott’s (UK)
1912 attempt to
become the first
person to reach the
Geographic South
Pole. He and his
team perished in
the attempt, but
on 7 Feb 2014, Ben
Saunders and Tarka
L’Herpiniere (both UK)
completed Scott’s
route, travelling the
2,890 km (1,795 mi)
from Ross Island to
the South Pole and
back, on skis and
hauling sleds that
at the start weighed
almost 200 kg (440 lb)
each. Their 105-day
journey is also the
longest polar trek.Expedition to the South Pole
in a wheel tractor
At 18:55 (UTC) on 22 Nov 2014, Manon Ossevoort
(NLD) left Novo Runway in Antarctica in a Massey
Ferguson 5610 farm wheel tractor. She went on
to complete a 4,638-km (2,881.91-mi) supported
and assisted round trip to the South Pole lasting
27 days 19 hr 25 min. The Antarctica 2 expedition
arrived back at Novo Runway on 20 Dec 2014,
having clocked 438 hr 17 min driving time at an
average speed of 10.58 km/h (6.57 mph).MISCELLANEOUS
Fastest bicycle ride
to the South Pole
On 17 Jan 2014, Juan Menéndez
Granados (ESP) arrived at the South
Pole solo on his “fatbike” – a wide-tyred
bicycle adapted for riding on snow and
varied terrain – after travelling 700 mi
(1,130 km) from the Hercules Inlet in
46 days. He was unsupported and
unassisted, but skied and pulled his
bike on his sled when unable to cycle.Fastest married couple to reach the
South Pole (unassisted, unsupported)
Chris and Marty Fagan (USA) reached
the South Pole from the Ronne Ice Shelf in
48 days, leaving on 2 Dec 2013 and arriving
on 18 Jan 2014. They covered 890 km (553 mi),
at an average of 18.54 km (11.52 mi) per day.Youngest person to trek to the North Pole
Tessum Weber (CAN, b. 9 May 1989) was 20 years
340 days old when he completed a trek to the
Geographic North Pole – entirely on foot – on
14 Apr 2010. Tessum was part of a four-man
expedition (including his father, Richard) that
had left McClintock at Cape Discovery, Nunavut,
Canada, on 3 Mar 2010 and reached the pole
after 41 days 18 hr, having covered a straight-
line distance of 780 km (484.67 mi).
The youngest person to trek to the South
Pole is Lewis Clarke (UK, b. 18 Nov 1997), who
was 16 years 61 days old when he reached the
Geographic South Pole on 18 Jan 2014. He
had skied 1,123.61 km (698.18 mi), from Hercules
Inlet on the Ronne Ice Shelf, in a two-man
unsupported and assisted trek.If all of Antarctica’s ice sheet melted, global sea levels
would rise by around 200–210 ft (60–64 m).MOST SOUTHERLY NAVIGATION
On 26 Feb 2017, Spirit of Enderby, commanded
by Captain Dmitry Zinchenko (RUS), reached
78°44.008'S, 163°41.434'W – the
farthest south that any ship has
been recorded. The expedition to
the Bay of Whales in the Ross Sea
of Antarctica was organized
by Heritage Expeditions (NZ)
and the latitude was confirmed
by hand-held instruments
on board the ship.Earth has multiple
North and South
poles. Here is
a selection of
those found at the
South Pole.Ceremonial South Pole
A metal globe on a fixed pole
at the South Pole Station. Used
for photo opportunities.Geographic South Pole
One of two points (along with
the North Pole) at which Earth’s
theoretical axis of rotation
intersects with its surface. At
the south, it is marked with a
stake that is repositioned each
year, based on data from US
Navy navigational satellites.Cartographic South Pole
Fixed point where all lines of
longitude meet when mapped
on the globePole of Inaccessibility
The point on Antarctica farthest
from the Southern Ocean:
82°06'S 54°58'EGeomagnetic South Pole
The meeting place of Earth’s
surface and the axis of a
hypothetical dipole (bar magnet)
at Earth’s centre, representing
the planet’s geomagnetic fieldMagnetic South Pole
The point where geomagnetic
field lines point up vertically, out
of Earth’s surface. This pole’s
position shifts with changes
in Earth’s magnetic field.Robert
Falcon Scott
had enjoyed great
success up to his final,
tragic trek. He became a
national hero for leading
the 1901–04 National
Antarctic Expedition,
which went farther
south than any
previous trip.Q: How many sunrises are
there at the North Pole
in a year?
A: One: the Sun rises at the Spring
Equinox, just before 20 Mar, stays
above the horizon and sets after the
Autumn Equinox, around 23 Sep