Polar explorers

Roald Amundsen was also the first to have travelled to both the North and South Poles. Børge Ousland crossed the Antarctic alone. Erling Kagge was the first to visit both poles and the top of Mount Everest. Fridtjof Nansen was the first to cross Greenland and was also known for his political contribution.

Amundsen reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911. Some 85 years later Børge Ousland crossed Antarctica alone.

Amundsen wore sealskin; Ousland and Kagge wore Gore-Tex.

Amundsen determined his position with watch, calendar and sextant. He invented his own methods of measuring distance, including a bicycle wheel fixed to one of the sledges. Kagge and Ousland chose GPS, using satellite communications to determine their precise position.

Amundsen used heavy, wooden sledges, drawn by dogs. Dogs are no longer welcome in Antarctica and Ousland pulled a kevlar sledge he had developed. It weighed just six kilos.

Roald Amundsen spent time with the Eskimos to learn how to survive in Arctic conditions. Before Ousland set out, he experimented with how he could train his body to take up fat. His food was freeze dried and just needed water added.

You can relive the polar expeditions and see much of the equipment these explorers used at the Fram Museum and the Ski Museum at Holmenkollen, both located in Oslo.