Life and movement on glaciers offer a number of challenges that are outside the experience of most people. Solutions depend on whether the activity is in the accumulation area, and so prone to build-up of snow, or in the ablation area, where melting down of the ice surface may be a problem. In this chapter we first describe the glaciological aspects of an early overland journey to the South Pole, as this gives a flavour of what it is like to travel across the world's largest ice mass. We then take a more thematic approach by looking at the dangers of glacier travel, and then review the various modes of transport including walking, skiing, dog-sledging, motorized travel and flying. Lastly, we explore the ways in which people live on the glacier surface today, whether it be simple camping or in semi-permanent research stations.

A classic polar journey

The ‘Heroic Age of Polar Exploration’ of the period 1890–1914 saw the first serious attempts to explore the Antarctic Ice Sheet and assess its scientific significance. One of the most stunning journeys was undertaken by Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1908–1909 British expedition. One of Shackleton's goals was to reach the then unconquered South Pole, and he actually pioneered what has become the principal overland route to the Pole.