Alone in Antarctica | The Windiest Place on Earth | 1

Against The Odds

Wondery

Cassie De Pecol, History, Society & Culture, Dolby, Mike Corey, Dolby Atmos, Atmos

4.7 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 July 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s 1912, the golden age of Antarctic exploration, and teams from the Australasian Antarctic Expedition are preparing to journey into the wilderness. One trio, led by the Australian geologist Douglas Mawson, will venture the farthest — traversing 700 miles roundtrip of uncharted territory. But when his journey takes a disastrous turn, Mawson will have to endure what the mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary called, “The greatest survival story in the history of exploration.

Order your copy of the new Against the Odds book, How to Survive Against the Odds: Tales & Tips for Animal Attacks and Natural Disasters, for stories of everyday people confronted by life-or-death situations, showing you how they survived—and how you can too. Learn more at SurvivalGuidebook.com.

Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter

Listen to Against The Odds on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting http://wondery.com/links/against-the-odds/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	A listener note, Against the Odds uses dramatizations that are based on true events.
0:04.5	Some elements, including dialogue, may be invented, but everything is based on research.
0:23.3	Douglas Mawson is in freefall.
0:29.3	He flails his arms, desperate for a handhold, but there's nothing but slick ice surrounding him.
0:36.0	A moment ago, his leather boots were crunching on snow, but now there's nothing beneath his feet, but air.
0:38.3	Mawson knows what's happening. He's tumbled into a hidden crevasse, about six feet wide.
0:42.3	He has no idea how deep it is.
0:44.3	All he can see below him is a pit of darkness.
0:48.3	Suddenly, pain shoots through his torso.
0:50.3	The harness he's wearing tightens around his shoulders and chest, cutting into his malnourished
0:55.6	muscles. The harness is attached to a 14-foot alpine rope, which has just gone taut. The other
1:01.5	end of the rope is tied to a sledge that's weighed down with all his supplies. And somehow,
1:06.5	the sledge is still perched somewhere above him on the surface. The weight of the sledge has saved him from falling any deeper.
1:15.1	It's January 17, 1913, and Mawson is the leader of an expedition to explore Antarctica.
1:22.3	Two months ago, he and two other members of the expedition, set out to explore more than 300 miles of unmapped Antarctic
1:29.6	wilderness, but both men perished, along with their sled dogs, leaving Mawson alone in the most
1:36.4	unforgiving environment on earth. Now, as Mawson dangles in the crevasse, he takes stock of
1:44.0	his situation.
1:45.0	He's exhausted and weak from lack of food.
1:48.0	His skin is literally peeling off his body from starvation and frostbite,
1:53.0	and he's at least 60 miles away from base camp, where other members of his expedition are waiting for him.
2:00.0	Or so he hopes. For all he knows, they've
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Wondery, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Wondery and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.