Discovery and science
The trials in March 1908
After their first Antarctic expeditions, Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Commander Jean-Baptiste Charcot realized the potential benefits of new modes of transportation on snow. They decided to test new motorized sleds built by de Dion-Bouton, with mechanical transmission and air-cooled engines, at the Lautaret Pass (2,058 m). On March 13, 1908, Jean-Baptiste Charcot and his wife, Captain Scott, Lieutenant Michael Barne, mechanical officer Reginald Skelton, Edmond Coursier, an engineer at de Dion-Bouton, and Lieutenant Labesse accompanied by a dozen Alpine hunters gathered at Lautaret. The tests took place at a temperature of -12°C, but the prototypes were too heavy (200 to 750 kg empty) and performed poorly. Transported to the Antarctic ice, they ultimately yielded mediocre results. Thus, traditional sled dogs remained the preferred companions of polar explorers.
The Lautaret cairn (1913-1914)
After Scott's tragic death at the South Pole, Jean-Baptiste Charcot decided to erect a monument in his honor. To ensure its longevity, the site of the Lautaret garden was chosen. The monument would take the form of a cairn, similar to those built by polar explorers with stones to mark their route and store supplies. Construction took place in August 1913 under the direction of Marcel Mirande, director of the garden, which was located at the time on what is now the Galibier road. The inauguration, presided over by Commander Charcot, took place on February 5, 1914, at 10 a.m. in bright sunshine and bitter cold. Sleds flocked from Grenoble and Briançon, carrying more than 200 people. After the speeches, Charcot officially handed over the monument to the University of Grenoble and entrusted it to the care of the local inhabitants. Following the relocation of the Alpine Garden to its current site in 1919, the cairn was also moved, under the watchful eye of Professor Mirande, on September 27, 1921.
The commemoration
On Saturday, March 15, 2008, around twenty people attended the commemoration, some of them after a ski tour to the Col du Galibier. In addition to The jardin du Lautaret, the Alpine Ecology Laboratory, Cemagref (Irstea) and the municipality of Villar d'Arène were also represented.
