They don't make 'em like that any more.

[zeitghost]

I know it's the Wail, but even so...

The awesome endurance of the men who DID survive Scott's doomed Antarctic mission | Mail Online

I'd never read anything about this before.

[Doggy Styles]

I know it's the Wail, but even so...

The awesome endurance of the men who DID survive Scott's doomed Antarctic mission | Mail Online

I'd never read anything about this before.

Wow.

Somebody would be sued for that these days.

[Doggy Styles]

I dread to think of the implications of "frost bitten to his wrists" and "frost bitten on his nether parts".

You mean, what the damages settlement would be today against the captain of the ship that didn't turn up?

[TimberWolf]

Did anyone see "Ice Patrol" on TV? It's about the (mis)adventures of HMS Endurance, a Royal Navy ice patrol ship. I'd recorded two episodes that I've only recently watched and wish I'd recorded the whole series now, if only to see how they screw up next.

In one episode "four Royal Marines set out to retrace legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton’s gruelling trek across the island" of Georgia". They were carrying 90 lb packs up steep hills! Ouch, that's got to hurt. But similarities with Shackleton's efforts kind of end there when you see the gear they had and backup and technology available and when a helicopter flew in to top them up with M&M sweets. Still, those very fit guys all agreed that they wouldn't want to do that trek again, apart from the guy that was airlifted out because he'd hurt his back.

In another episode, during routine maintenance of the ships valves (whatever they are), one of the valves decided to spring a leak and the boat almost sank. The lower decks were gutted and at the end of this episode the ship was being transported back thousands of miles to Portsmouth for a refit. Weird, and expensive. The Captain seem quite relaxed over the affair and didn't inspire competence to me. He was just a temp anyway, because the regular captain was on holiday.

[DS23]

I dread to think of the implications of "frost bitten to his wrists" and "frost bitten on his nether parts".

they would have been forced to cut out the frost bitten bits before they spread.

[OwlHoot]

Wow.

Somebody would be sued for that these days.

Or prosecuted for smoking, if their snow cave was be deemed a place of work.

For Priestley, the only non-smoker, this haze added to the discomfort of pipe smoke blown out by the other men each morning.

[Mich the Tester]

If you read the accounts of Ranulph Fiennes and Mike Stroud, or more recently Ben Saunders, or in fact anyone who’s attempted a polar trek or a Himalayan peak above 8000 metres you wouldn’t say ‘they don't make 'em like that any more.’

They do still make ‘em like that. They just have slightly flashier equipment, but that means they try more extreme challenges and get themselves into equally tough situations as Scott or Amundsen’s teams.

As a little aside, Josh Lewsey, the former England rugby player, failed in his attempt on Everest last week as his oxygen failed 500ft below the summit. He saw the dead bodies lying around him and just wanted to sleep from the lack of oxygen, but told himself that sitting down and falling asleep was how they died. We're not talking about an unfit wimp here, but an extremely fit elite athlete.

Seriously, anyone who does polar exploration or high peaks is an 'ard bastard.

[BoredBloke]

I dread to think of the implications of "frost bitten to his wrists" and "frost bitten on his nether parts".

If he attempted a w@nk would it feel like somebody else w@nking off somebody else

[sasguru]

If he attempted a w@nk would it feel like somebody else w@nking off somebody else

Nah - just that bits would fly off everywhere before he got to the point.

[Sysman]

I know it's the Wail, but even so...

The awesome endurance of the men who DID survive Scott's doomed Antarctic mission | Mail Online

I'd never read anything about this before.

I'd read a book by Scott's son (or was it grandson?) as a kid, but naturally it didn't go into this level of detail. Pretty desperate stuff.