Shackleton himself would be leading the South Pole journey, which had suffered a serious setback during the winter when four of the remaining ponies died, mainly from eating volcanic sand for its salt content.
Det var imidlertid et alvorligt tilbageslag, at fire af de tilbageværende ponyer døde i løbet af vinteren, hovedsagelig fordi de havde indtaget saltholdigt vulkansk sand.