What way is South?

[kwicky]

In an adventure series on the TV last week trepid explorers were near the North Pole when one pulled out a compass and said 'lets head South'. I was under the impression that all directions head in a Southerly direction. Have I been mis-informed?

[fountain]

No, I think you are right. Although for all directions to be south the explorers would have had to be at the north pole. If they were only near it then i suppose there would be one southerly direction.
But a compass does not point to the north pole, it points to magnetic north which is slightly off the north pole. As you get closer to the north pole this error gets greater and greater. So I'm pretty sure that a compass would be useless for navigation anyway near the north pole.
However, I haven't tried it, as I haven't been there!

[dasherman]

I think you answered your question yourself.If you're at the north pole the only way to go is south.

[almcd007]

I know this is obvious but the north pole isn't shaped in a pole as in your at the top and you need to get down. It will be a flat land/ice mass and there will be a distinction on which south route to take - whilst they all point south clearly heading straight ahead will leave you in a different destination to turning round and going the other way. I'm sure there might be another way of saying lets head so and so degrees south or something.

[markja]

they were having a little " i'm on the north pole ! " joke.
of course every way is south, thats why it's funny to these hardened/mad chaps.

[tell-me-more]

I didn't see it, but just from reading your question, I too wondered if it was just a "we're at the North pole" joke.