Olav Bjaaland

Olav Olavson Bjaaland ( born March 5, 1873 in Morgedal, † June 8, 1961 ) was a Norwegian skier who reached together with Roald Amundsen and three other companions was the first to the South Pole.

Life

Olav Bjaaland was born on his parents' farm Olav Olavsson Bjaaland (1831-1893) and Gunhild Bjaaland ( 1846-1933 ). His marriage to Aasne Djuve (1889-1953) remained childless.

Bjaaland belonged in his time in both the Alpine and Nordic disciplines at the best skiers of Norway. Among other things, he won the 1902 combined score at Holmenkollen and in 1912 awarded the Holmenkollen medal. In 1908 he was among the founders of the Norwegian Ski Federation.

On the way to a competition in Chamonix in 1909, he met by chance in Lübeck the polar explorer Roald Amundsen. Bjaalands reputation as a skier and his practical skills as a carpenter impressed Amundsen so much that he offered Bjaaland participation in his North Pole expedition. Bjaaland consented, but then not knowing that the goal of Amundsen's Fram expedition should be Antarctica. Together with Jørgen Stubberud he spearheaded the establishment of the base camp Framheim in the Bay of Whales on the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, as well as responsible for the repair and improvement of the ski and sled equipment. Together with Amundsen, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel and Oscar Wisting he reached as a sled leader on December 14, 1911 South Pole. After Amundsen's Antarctic expedition Bjaaland schlugt from offer to participate in an expedition to the passage of the Northeast Passage.

The skiing he remained faithful even in later years. He ran a ski factory in Kviteseid and 1915 was Norway's first official Wide judge at ski jumping. On February 13, 1952, he ignited in Morgedal the torch for the VI. Winter Olympics in Oslo.