Talk "Danish South Pole Expedition 2000"

Description

”Great God! This is an awful place..” (Robert Falcon Scott, at the South Pole, 17th January 1912)

The polar explorers Ernest Shackleton, Robert Falcon Scott, Roald Amundsen and many others went off towards the Antarctic in the beginning of the 20. Century. They went off on what we today would call sport expeditions. Many of them failed, either because the members of the expedition were not sufficiently prepared or because the weather in the Antarctic took them by surprise.

Today it is different. Most modern expeditions are prepared down to the smallest detail. The equipment is often better, and modern communication- and navigation equipment have also improved the possibility for success.

But one thing the members of modern sport expeditions and the former hardened polar explorers have in common: They share the same fascination of the Antarctic, and the same urge for adventure.

On 12th January at 18.30 the first Danish South Pole expedition, ”Danish South Pole Expedition 2000”, was standing on the southern most place of the planet. Before the South Pole hand we had walked 1119,41 km and 56 days on skies without any other company than each other, the white horizon and the two 120 kg heavy pulks (a sort of a sledge).

The expedition was unsupported, and so we didn’t get neither deposits lain out or supplies cast down on our way. It meant that we on our pulks had to pull all the equipment and all the provisions necessary to reach our goal.

I will tell our story about an adventurous ski-expedition in a harsh, merciless, stormy, fascinating and spectacular nature with big challenges in both the physic and mental field. Further I’ll tell about the food, the failures, the damages, the equipment, the weather, and the feelings about the victory of finally reaching the great goal.

We could ask ourselves what made two ordinary Danes with jobs and family set such a goal? And I’ll tell about “the dream” which was unconditionally the strongest factor for us to set through the expedition: The dream about the adventure. The dream about reaching the South Pole and an extreme will to do it was entirely the motive that made us carry out the hardships. The proverb “Where there is will, there is a way” suddenly got substance, and we realised that it is ourselves who set bounds to what you can achieve.

In the talk I’ll show a lot of beautiful pictures to prove a unique awe-inspiring, dazzling Antarctic.

Duration: 45 minutes. Can be enlarged to 2 x 45 minutes.
Target group: Firms, societies, people with a sense for adventure and the dream of doing the impossible - growth through will.
Language: Danish/English
Lecturer: Gregers Gjersøe, or together with Kristian Joos

Book a talk here.