The final ALE Ilyushin flight of the 2011-12 Anniversary season departed from Union Glacier ice runway On January 31. Last to leave were a small team of staff, who had worked hard over previous weeks to dismantle camp and store everything securely for the upcoming winter. The Antarctic summer is short and intense. It seems [...]
One mountaineer, two guides, three weeks, ten first ascents. Exploratory alpinism at its finest. In December 2011, when the rest of Antarctica was celebrating the centenary of the first journey to the South Pole, Ralf Laier made his own contribution to the history of Antarctic exploration. Over a period of three weeks, he and ALE [...]
In 1773, Captain Cook described the great southern continent Terra Australis Incognita as ‘A country doomed by nature never once to feel the warmth of the sun’s rays but to lie forever buried under everlasting snow and ice.’ With these words Professor Chris Turney, from University of New South Wales, introduces his research into climate [...]
It has been 100 years since Robert Falcon Scott and his team arrived at the South Pole. But words from Scott’s journal echo across time, capturing the landscape, the physical and mental hardships of polar expeditions, and above all, the dreams that inspire polar explorers.
Criosfera 1, the first Brazilian standalone module for atmospheric data collection, has arrived at its destination on the West Antarctic ice sheet. “It is a pioneering achievement of Brazil’s institutions and a landmark for the Brazilian Antarctic Program. When we return from the expedition, automatic equipment of weather monitoring, measurement of carbon dioxide, also [...]
Our thoughts may be turning to holidays and the New Year, but for expeditions in Antarctica, it’s another day of snow, wind and marching toward the Pole. Some teams have completed their treks, while others continue skiing south. Arrived at South Pole Sorpolen 1911-2011 completed the second-ever overland expedition from the Bay of Whales to [...]
Vinson Base Camp is officially “Open” and the first guests have arrived. ALE staff flew into the base camp recently to prepare for the arrival of the first climbers of the season. The camp, located at 7020 ft (2140 m) on the Branscomb Glacier, has been unoccupied since the end of last January when everything [...]
Roald Amundsen left his mark on the Heroic Era as one of the most successful polar explorers ever born. He led the 1910–12 Antarctic expedition which was the first to reach the South Pole, on 14 December 1911. He was the first to traverse the Northwest Passage (1903–06) in the Arctic and he is recognized [...]
Liv Arnesen (1953 – ) Liv Ragnheim Arnesen is a Norwegian educator, adventurer, guide, and motivational speaker. In 1994, she made international headlines becoming the first woman in the world to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole – a 50-day expedition of 745 miles (1,200 km). Along with Ann Bancroft, she also holds [...]
Col. Jatinder Kumar (JK) Bajaj, a mechanical engineer and seasoned mountaineer, was the first Indian (and the first Asian) to reach the South Pole. In 1988-89, as part of an eleven member international team, Col Bajaj skied 750 miles (1200 km) over 50 days across an uncharted Antarctic route; and on 17 January 1989, hoisted [...]