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The Norwegian had achieved his feat through the old fashioned way.He snubbed scientific methods and instead relied on his lighter dog sleds,instead of horses and motorized sleds.He also favoured more appropriate clothing and equipmentand thorough preparation/organisation to achieve his aim.Another reason for his success was partly because
their base was almost 100 km closer to the pole than Scott’s. The expedition also used lighter sleds and more appropriate clothing and equipment.
Amundsen was born in 1872 in Norway. He studied medicine as his mother had always wanted, although, as soon as she had died, he decided to become an explorer.During the late 1880s he joined several Arctic expeditions, including the first one to survive the Arctic winter.In 1903 he commanded an expedition to the North Pole and the Northwest Passage. Amundsen learned about surviving in cold places from the Eskimos, such as wearing animal skins instead of heavy furs.
The man who organized the first expedition averted what was a potential tragedy in 1918,when he sailed to unknown parts of the Arctic Ocean.While on this expedition, he broke his arm, was attacked by polar bears and his ship spent two winters frozen in the ice.
Another groundbreaking trip was made in 1926,when he flew to the North Pole in 2 planes, and an airship measuring 35 metres long and filled with hydrogen. It took his team over 3 weeks to clear a runway suitable for the planes.
Roald Amundsen death in June 22 1928 still remains a mystery till date.He disappeared while flying on a rescue mission over the Arctic.After futile attempts to find the team, it was assumed his plane crashed, and till today, no bodies or wreckage were ever found.No supporting physical facts were sadly ever gathered to help in establishing the demise of the great man.