Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration

David Roberts

Jan 2013 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

"Gripping and superb. This book will steal the night from you." —Laurence Gonzales, author of Deep Survival

On January 17, 1913, alone and near starvation, Douglas Mawson, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, was hauling a sledge to get back to base camp. The dogs were gone. Now Mawson himself plunged through a snow bridge, dangling over an abyss by the sledge harness. A line of poetry gave him the will to haul himself back to the surface.

Mawson was sometimes reduced to crawling, and one night he discovered that the soles of his feet had completely detached from the flesh beneath. On February 8, when he staggered back to base, his features unrecognizably skeletal, the first teammate to reach him blurted out, "Which one are you?"

This thrilling and almost unbelievable account establishes Mawson in his rightful place as one of the greatest polar explorers and expedition leaders. It is illustrated by a trove of Frank Hurley’s famous Antarctic photographs, many never before published in the United States.

Ratings and reviews

Incredible men. Could not fathom the sheer determination and will to survive and discover. I loved that it included pictures.

Couldnt put it down. A history lesson with a gripping story

Good read. Somewhat dry.

About the author

David Roberts (1943–2021) was the author of thirty books on mountaineering, exploration, and anthropology. His books have won the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature and the Grand Prize at the Banff Mountain Book Competition.