My fascination with the most remote continent on earth began as a teenager after hearing about the tragic ill fated journey of British explorer Robert Falcon Scott. Most will know the story of the race to be the first to set foot on the South Pole. Scott sets out with a fine British tradition of exploration. His is a big expedition and pitted against him coming from the other side of the continent is the understated Norwegian explorer Amundsen. Plagued with bad weather, inexperience with polar conditions and poor choices Scott reaches the pole only to discover that Amundsen has beaten by a couple of days. Scott and his party similarly fall agonisingly short of their rescue party and perish in the ice.
As an an adult I read all the books about polar exploration I could lay my hands on including books about heroes such as Shackleton, and the Australians Mawson and Wilkins. I have a magnificent coffee table book on Antarctica with superb pictures that I bought decades ago. Finally I have my chance to satisfy my curiosity and fascination with the great frozen continent.
