Chasing Shackleton: Re-creating the World's Greatest Journey of Survival

“Mr. Jarvis’s tribute to Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition has had a danger and heroism that are worthy of the original.” —The Guardian

In this extraordinary adventure memoir and tie-in to the PBS documentary, Tim Jarvis, one of the world's leading explorers, describes his modern-day journey to retrace, for the first time ever—and in period clothing and gear—the legendary 1914 expedition of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

In early 1914, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his team sailed for Antarctica, attempting to be the first to reach the South Pole. Instead of glory, Shackleton and his crew found themselves in an epic struggle for survival: a three-year odyssey on the ice and oceans of the Antarctic that endures as one of the world’s most famous tales of adventure, endurance, and leadership ever recorded.

In the winter of 2013, celebrated explorer Tim Jarvis, a veteran of multiple polar expeditions, set out to recreate Sir Ernest Shackleton’s treacherous voyage over sea and mountain, outfitted solely with authentic equipment—clothing, boots, food, and tools—from Shackleton’s time, a feat that has never been successfully accomplished.

Chasing Shackleton is the remarkable record of Jarvis and his team’s epic journey. Beautifully designed and illustrated with dozens of photographs from the original voyage and its modern reenactment, it is a visual feast for readers and historians alike, and an essential new chapter in the story that has inspired adventurers across every continent for a century.

In celebration of the centenary of Shackleton’s legendary journey, join Tim Jarvis on his quest to become the first to re-create what sir edmund hillary called “the greatest survival story of all time”

1914–1916

One hundred years ago, in early 1914, famed British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton embarked for the South Pole on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, hoping to make the first land crossing of Antarctica. For three years there was no word from the expedition, and most assumed the men had perished, as so many polar explorers had before them. Remarkably, however, the crew was very much alive, thanks to Shackleton’s leadership. After their ship, the Endurance, was crushed by Antarctic ice and the men trapped on a small, inhospitable island, cut off from all hope of rescue, Shackleton decided to attempt a risky eighthundred-mile voyage across the notoriously treacherous Southern Ocean. For seventeen days, he and five of his crew battled constant gales, terrible cold, and mountainous seas in a leaking 22.5-foot wooden boat. In one of history’s greatest feats of navigation, they succeeded in landing on the small, remote island of South Georgia. Finally, they faced a climb over precipitous, heavily glaciated mountains to reach the whaling station at Stromness on the other side—a journey that would challenge the limits of today’s top mountaineers. Ultimately, Shackleton was able to rescue all twenty-two crew members—a heroic triumph of endurance and leadership.

January 2013

Using authentic period clothing, equipment, and rations, and sailing a precise replica of Shackleton’s small, keel-less boat, explorer Tim Jarvis leads a six-man crew in an attempt to re-create Shackleton’s historic crossings for the first time. A veteran of Antarctica’s breathtaking frozen wastes, Jarvis finds himself facing one of the most dangerous journeys ever willingly undertaken, quickly gaining a firsthand appreciation for the extraordinary challenges that Shackleton overcame. While documenting the devastating impact a century of climate change has had on the region’s ice caps and glaciers, the trek proves to be a relentless struggle against poor odds and inhospitable conditions—for even today, the remote Antarctic remains as fierce and unforgiving as ever before.

Vividly illustrated with historical and contemporary photography, Chasing Shackleton tells the unforgettable story of these two expeditions, separated by nearly a hundred years but unified in the spirit of epic discovery, adventure, and survival.

“Mr. Jarvis’s tribute to Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition has a danger and heroism that are worthy of the original.” - The Guardian

“This is a story of triumph! Tim Jarvis and his companions have successfully recreated my grandfather’s 1916 voyage. Ernest Shackleton crossed the 800 nautical miles from Elephant Island to South Georgia over the stormiest seas in the world and subsequently climbed the mountainous, unmapped interior of South Georgia. Tim Jarvis’s team set off on their own great adventure in 2013. I feel it was a thoroughly Shackletonian expedition.” - ALEXANDRA SHACKLETON, Granddaughter of Ernest Shackleton

“This is a story of triumph! Tim Jarvis and his companions have successfully recreated my grandfather’s 1916 voyage over the stormiest seas in the world. I feel it was a thoroughly Shackletonian expedition.” - ALEXANDRA SHACKLETON, Granddaughter of Ernest Shackleton

“A daring re-enactment. ... All the plaudits to him and his team are thoroughly deserved.” - Telegraph

“The greatest survival story of all time.” - Sir Edmund Hillary

“An extraordinary expedition” - The Daily Mirror

“Polar explorer Jarvis takes on the re-creation of one of the most difficult treks imaginable. … The story of their journey is bone-chilling and breathtakingly frightening. … a most remarkable feat. A well-written, compelling read.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Thrilling. ... A treasure-trove of minutiae and derring-do for both explorers and those who will simply gaze in wonderment.” - Booklist

“A chilling account of an epic struggle to survive.” - Traveler