Alone on the Ice
The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration
28 March 2014
Description
"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.
Reviews
"Wonderfully told, impressively researched…For fans of outdoor adventure, Alone on the Ice brings you as close to trekking in a blizzard on icy, dangerous terrain as you’ll likely want to get." — Chuck Leddy, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Impressively seamless and straightforward." — Christina Thompson, Boston Globe
"A chilling story…You feel the freezing temperatures, the fear, the desperation, along with the loyalty of the other Australasian Antarctic Expedition members." — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post
"In Alone on the Ice, Roberts, a veteran mountain climber and chronicler of adventures, admirably succeeds in restoring the luster that the Australian Antarctic Expedition and its leader deserve." — Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post
"A fresh and thoroughly researched account of Doulas Mawson's epic journey of self-rescue across one of the most inhospitable regions known to man. Roberts takes the reader alongside the men of the 1912 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, and the desperation of Mawson s sledge journey can be well imagined step by frigid step." — Ed Viesturs, author of K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain
"Others have written the loose outlines of Douglas Mawson's astonishing survival against the worst conditions that Antarctica can deliver a lesser-known but equally compelling epic as that of Ernest Shackleton but Roberts's telling trumps them all." — Gordon Wiltsie, author of To the Ends of the Earth
"This is Roberts at his best, telling a little-known tale of adventure, tragedy, and endurance. Mawson may be the most famous Australian explorer, and Alone on the Ice is an admirable introduction of him to American readers." — Greg Child, author of Over the Edge
"An accurate and enthralling account of the greatest story of polar exploration and survival. Roberts takes the reader back to a time of hardship, collective friendship, and a level of determination unknown in todays culture. This book will make you cherish every meal and the joys of a warm bed." — Conrad Anker, coauthor of The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mt. Everest
Also By: David Roberts 
Into the Great Emptiness: Peril and Survival on the Greenland Ice Cap
Paperback, 2024
The riveting story of one of the greatest but least-known sagas in the history of exploration from David Roberts, the “dean of adventure writing”
Into the Great Emptiness: Peril and Survival on the Greenland Ice Cap
Hardback, 2023
The riveting story of one of the greatest but least-known sagas in the history of exploration from David Roberts, the “dean of adventure writing”
Into the Great Emptiness: Peril and Survival on the Greenland Ice Cap
E Book, 2022
The riveting story of one of the greatest but least-known sagas in the history of exploration from David Roberts, the “dean of adventure writing”
The Bears Ears: A Human History of America's Most Endangered Wilderness
Paperback, 2022
A personal and historical exploration of the Bears Ears country and the fight to save an American national monument
The Bears Ears: A Human History of America's Most Endangered Wilderness
E Book, 2021
A personal and historical exploration of the Bears Ears country and the fight to save a national monument.
