Antarctica was discovered by the Bellingshausen and Lazarev expedition, but Russian researchers were only able to land at the South Pole nearly 90 years later. This happened in 1911, when Roald Amundsen's group was conquering the coldest continent. Amundsen selected only highly qualified specialists for the expedition, among whom was the Russian navigator Alexander Kuchin. He was born into a family of Pomors, graduated from a Maritime School, and worked for a long time on routes in the northern seas. By the age of 22, Kuchin was already considered an experienced specialist.

The journey was not easy. The ship "Fram" encountered storms several times, and once Kuchin was almost washed overboard. That same night, a funny incident occurred: Kuchin had to save not only himself and the ship but also the ship's piglet. The frightened piglet ran out of the pen and dashed across the deck, where it slipped and nearly fell into the jaws of the sled dogs. Kuchin, overcoming difficulties, managed to rescue the terrified animal. Finally, on January 14, 1911, the "Fram" reached the South Pole. While Amundsen's group prepared for the trek, Alexander Kuchin was engaged in oceanographic research.

A few days later, the British ship "Terra Nova" arrived in the same bay. Kuchin was surprised to meet two of his compatriots among the crew: Dmitry Gorev from the Ob North and Anton Omelchenko from the Far East. They were part of polar explorer Scott's team, having reached the Ross Ice Shelf with him and set up winter quarters. Robert Scott noted in his diary: "Anton and Dmitry are always ready to help. They are both great guys. I have found that our Russian lads deserve just as much praise as my fellow countrymen, the English. It is very gratifying to see the good relations that have developed between our young Russians and everyone else." One could say that the conquest of Antarctica began with the Russians and continued with them.