Did Roald Amundsen travel with anyone?

Answer 1

Cool Antarctica reports that there were 20 souls in that expedition:

"Amundsen, Roald - expedition leader

Beck, Andreas - seaman and ice pilot

Bjaaland, Olav Olavson

Gjertsen, Lieutenant Fredrick - first mate.

Hansen, Ludvig - Seaman and ice pilot

Hanssen, Helmer

Hassel, Sverre

Johansen, Hjalmar

Kristensen - deck-hand and then 3rd engineer

Kutchin, Alexander Lindstrøm, Adolf Henrick - cook / carpenter

Nilsen, Lieutenant Thorvald - First-Lieutenant, second in command.

Nödtvedt, Jacob - 2nd engineer

Olsen, Karinius - cook / carpenter

Prestrude, Lieutenant Kristian - second officer.

Rønne, Martin - sail maker

Stubberud, Jorgen - carpenter

Sundbeck, Knut - Engineer

Wisting, Oskar"

Answer 2

Yes, Roald Amundsen's expedition to the South Pole was supported by a crew of nineteen men, all personally chosen by either Amundsen or his mentor, Fridtjof Nansen, sailing on his ship Fram. Amundsen handpicked a party of five men to join him on his journey to the Pole. These men were Amundsen himself, Olav Bjaaland (a champion skier), Helmer Hanssen (an experienced dog-driver and navigator who Amundsen had worked with before), Sverre Hassel (an expert dog-driver and experienced navigator), and Oscar Wisting (an experienced explorer, seaman, skier, dog-driver, and navigator). All of Amundsen's companions were experienced in either skiing or dog-sledging, and all were capable navigators (so that they could verify that he had really reached the Pole, preventing controversy like that surrounding who had reached the North Pole first). Bjaaland was hired specifically as a 'frontrunner' for the dogs. He would ski in front of the party each day, and his scent and trail would make the dogs run faster and more enthusiastically.

Amundsen also travelled to the Pole with 52 dogs, though only 18 were not killed for food on the journey. These dogs, and the decision to kill most of the dogs to feed the others, was crucial for the rapid speed of Amundsen's journey to the Pole.