Scott's Skis: An Antartic Journey

Scott didn't like skis! These skis were used for depot runs. The expedition party travelled to the South Pole by foot.Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912) was born in Plymouth and is nowadays referred to simply as "Scott of the Antarctic." Born in 1868, the former Royal Navy captain became a national hero when he set the new "furthest south" record with his expedition to Antarctica aboard on 'Discovery' in 1901-1904. Scott returned south aboard 'Terra Nova' in 1910-12. Beaten to the Pole by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, Scott died alongside the Polar party on the return journey across the ice. These skis were possibly sourced by ski expert Tryggve Gran, who Scott met when visiting Oslo (then Christiania), Norway. In his diary entry of 11th December 1910, Scott records, 'I'm much pleased with the ski and ski boots'. However, he chose not to use skis on his fatal expedition to the Pole. Scott had presented the skis to Petty Officer, Patrick Keohane, Royal Navy, who accompanied Scott and kindly donated the skis and ski poles to Plymouth Museum.

Scott didn't like skis! These skis were used for depot runs. The expedition party travelled to the South Pole by foot.