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SHACKLETON CENTENARY EXPEDITION
RECREATION OF THE NIMROD EXPEDITION SOUTHWARD PARTY
The Shackleton Centenary expedition (patron: HRH The Princess Royal), to be led by Henry Worsley, has thoroughly updated its website in preparation for 2008, the year of its departure.
Read all about the Shackleton Centenary Expedition
It includes an outline of the purposes of the Shackleton Foundation, inspired by the idea that 'any truly determined individual can make something remarkable happen, and inspire others to do the same.'
You can listen to the wax cylinder recording of Shackleton speaking, enumerating his key men of the 1907-9 expedition, find out about the South Polar Times, read a summary of the Nimrod expedition, the ascent of the Beardmore Glacier and the failed attempt on the Pole (which this centenary party plans to rectify), read of a rare, splendidly illustrated book about The Endurance and the James Caird_, learn about an ancient lake that lies hidden more than two miles beneath the frozen surface of Antarctica, look up the account by Max Worsley (aged 13) of his father's preparations to follow in Shackleton's footsteps.
The whole site is excellently presented: most of the items are posted by the sixth and latest member of the expedition, Tim Fright, great-great-nephew of Shackleton's loyal lieutenant, Frank Wild. It also contains numerous imaginative and useful links through to a vast number of Shackleton- and Antarctic-related sites.
Fascinatingly, the party will approach the Ross Sea and Ross Island not by ship from Lyttelton, New Zealand, but by plane from Punta Arenas, Chile. The site also reveals that they will begin their ordeal by climbing Mt. Erebus, repeating Shackleton's first ever climb in 1907.
As they explain, 'We then intend to depart from the Shackleton Hut at Cape Royds on October 29th 2008 at 10 a.m., exactly a hundred years to the day since Shackleton and his men set out.
Travelling unguided on skis, we will cross the Ross Ice Shelf, individually hauling our expedition supplies in sledges. We will then ascend the seldom-crossed Beardmore Glacier, en route collecting blue ice samples for scientific analysis back in the UK. Then it's on to the Polar plateau, 400 miles towards the Pole itself.
There is a substantial section on the Beardmore Glacier, focus of some of the expedition's scientific aims and the route Shackleton, Wild, Adams and Marshall too in their bid to reach the South Pole.
The Minister for the London Olympics, Tessa Jowell, endorsed the expedition, saying: "I am proud to offer my support for such a bold and exciting venture. The family links between the original expedition of 1908/09 and the current team a century later make it a unique mission, and I hope that they are successful in achieving their aims. The Olympic Games presents a unique challenge to athletes which is so similar to the challenges to which Shackleton so magnificently rose. Watching people challenge their limits and surpassing them is both laudable and compelling, and offers a useful wider lesson to us all to keep challenging ourselves."
Donations are welcome to the Shackleton Centneary's immensely deserving appeal.
The Shackleton Centenary Expedition
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