Alone on the Ice

Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration by David Roberts, 368 pages

Between 1911 and 1913, Australian explorer Douglas Mawson led the Australasian Antarctic Expedition to an uncharted area of Antarctica. It was an ambitious journey, with scientific and geographic goals well beyond what many other expeditions of the time took on (reaching the South Pole was just one of their many goals). After "wintering over" in a hut through months of blizzards and record-setting winds, Mawson and two of his team members set off on a sledging expedition to the east of their base camp in an attempt to survey what is now known as King George V Land.

To describe this sledging trek as "harrowing" wouldn't even begin to describe it. While crossing a glacier a couple hundred miles into their journey, one of Mawson's colleagues, Belgrave Ninnis, plunged to his death in a crevasse, taking with him six huskies and the sledge that was laden with most of the trio's food and supplies. Despite immediately turning back, Mawson and his remaining fellow, Xavier Mertz, were forced to brave the Antarctic conditions with a seriously depleted food supply (they ended up eating the remaining dogs, to disastrous effect) and using jury-rigged equipment. Still 100 miles from the hut, Mertz too died, leaving a weakened Mawson to traverse the remaining distance alone.

I'll admit that I'd never heard of Mawson before reading/listening to this book. And honestly, I've never been much of a South (or North) Pole fanatic. But this is a fascinating, gripping story. How Mawson survived this ordeal is mind-boggling; the subtitle is no exaggeration. This is well-researched, and gives a wonderful glimpse into the daily life of Antarctic expeditions of the early 20th Century. My one regret is that I didn't also pick up the book book version of this. While the narrator of the audiobook is fantastic, I didn't get a chance to see the photographs taken from the AAE. I must rectify this. Recommended for fans of Edwardian era history, adventure, and those who don't mind the cold.