The Beardmore Glacier (83º45´S 171º00´E) in Antarctica is the largest glacier in the world, with a length exceeding 160 km (100 mi). The glacier is one of the main passages from the Ross Ice Shelf through the Queen Alexandra and Commonwealth ranges of the Transantarctic Mountains to the Antarctic Plateau, and thus made the early conquest of the South Pole possible.
It was discovered by Ernest Shackleton during his Nimrod Antarctic expedition of 1908, and named after Sir William Beardmore, an expedition sponsor.
The South Pole was first reached by Roald Amundsen and his team in December 1911 by a different route. They climbed the previously unknown Axel Heiberg Glacier. The Pole was also reached a month later by Captain Scott and his team, via the Beardmore glacier. Scott and his men perished on their return journey.
