On December 14, 1911, Roald Amundsen and his expedition planted the Norwegian flag at the South Pole. At the same time, another expedition was vying to be the first to reach the pole. But when the British expedition led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott arrived just four weeks after Amundsen's expedition, the dream was shattered.
The Norwegian flag flew on the pole.
Fighting for life
The return trip was highly dramatic for Scott and his men. At the ice edge, the ship Terra Nova was waiting. But the expedition members were exhausted, starving and fighting for their lives. One by one they died. The last only 18 kilometers from a depot that could have saved them, according to historians.
Ski instructor from Norway
On board the Terra Nova was Norwegian Tryggve Gran. He had been hired as a ski instructor. Scott and Gran met in Norway, when Scott was testing skiing. Gran impressed him with his skiing skills. As a result, both Gran and Norwegian-made skis joined the British expedition.
Ski cross
As the months went by and it became clear that Scott and his men weren't coming back from the pole alive, Terra Nova's crew set out to search.
Tryggve Gran is said to have been the first to enter the tent where the dead lay. A cairn of snow was built with a cross perched on top, made from Gran's skis. The Norwegian himself strapped on Scott's wooden skis and brought them back to Terra Nova.
Honorable
- "All the details of the skis' fate between the South Pole and when they ended up here at the Ski Museum are not completely clear," says Ski Museum Director Åslaug Midtdal.
- It's a very dramatic story, and an honor to have the skis here. The heroism of these polar explorers at the time continues to fascinate new generations. It's also special that we know so much about what Scott and his men were thinking, even though they all died.
Along with the skis and equipment, Tryggve Gran and the rescue expedition found Scott's diary, with the famous words, written in late March 1912:
It's sad, of course, but I don't think I can write any more.
Sources: Ski Museum in Holmenkollen, snl.n
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