I’ve just noticed this is an old thread, but after reading spectrumwalker and sojourns accounts I figured my experience was also worth sharing. It’s a bit different to theirs.
A few years ago I was contemplating a move into the oil and gas industry and was browsing job sites when I chanced upon an ad for a job in Antarctica, the company were looking to recruit technical support staff who were accustomed to working in harsh, isolated environments hence the ad on an oil and gas recruitment site.
I applied and after a couple of interviews got the job. I was now off to provide safety communications for field parties and expeditions on mainland Antarctica. Happy days!
The first thing I had to do was get myself kitted out, the gear wasn’t cheap and included:
Arctic sleeping bag
Down jacket
Gore-tex jacket – not necessary in hindsight
Fleece jackets in different weights - for layering
Windstopper
Windproof trousers
Thermal base layers
Baffin cold weather boots
2 x North Face duffel bags
Gloves
Woollen mitts
Woollen hat
Polar buff neck warmer
Neoprene face mask
Socks
100% UV sun glasses – plastic frames
Ski goggles
Ski boots – in case I got the chance to ski – which I didn’t
And more, including iPod, camera, ear plugs, sun cream, Kindle, ear plugs, day pack and so on…
Quality mountaineering brands such as Rab and Patagonia were recommended, my gear is all either Rab or North Face.
A 30+ hour journey via London, Sau Paulo and Santiago saw me land in Punta Arenas, Chile tired but excited. The thing that immediately struck me about the place was the wind, straight from the South Pole it is cold, gusty and doesn’t stop blowing. After being picked up by my employer and a few introductions I dumped my gear and went for a wander around town, dodging packs of mangy dogs as I went, occasionally bumping into groups of foreigners obviously headed for the ice, clad in outdoor gear, excitement palpable. Some venturing out on expeditions, others to work, I got chatting to a group who were there to spend the season at Rothera, the mainland British Antarctic Survey base. I would be there for the duration of the Antarctic summer, October to February, 24 hour daylight and temperatures of between -5°C and -25°C. Expeditions aren’t possible during winter as temperatures plummet to -50°C and much colder, with wind chill an added factor.
I spent half the season in Chile supporting logistical staff, and a long distance comms link to the camp in Antarctica. I also had to maintain comms with flights in and out of Antarctica, the flight takes approximately 4.5 hours and once the plane leaves Chilean airspace it’s on its own. I would check in with the radio operator every so often and track the flight, sometimes comms would drop out when the weather was bad, it was always a strange feeling in the middle of the night with no one else around.
Once I finished my stint in Chile I swapped roles with another guy who spent the first half of the season on the ice. I was buzzing when I landed and immediately went for a look around. The camp backed onto a mountain range, the other three directions were as flat as the eye could see. Camp consisted of tented accommodation, a dining tent, tented garage area, comms portakabin, a shower tent where snow was melted for the ablutions. Showers were limited to one per person every 3 days. There was no internet due to most satellite providers having no Polar coverage, Iridium have part Antarctic coverage for satellite phones and this is how people kept in touch with home, and also mainly how we kept in touch with expeditions and field parties, an email service via Iridium was limited to 3 emails in or out per person per week. The only other link to the world was newspaper cuttings, which were printed from the Internet in Chile and flown in with the supplies. A runway was cleared on the ice for plane to land and take off, with the hard crust removed to expose the solid ice underneath. A couple of small twin otter planes were the primary mode of transport around the area of operations.
Besides routine technical work I also had to have a daily call with each of the expeditions, I would log their position, engage them in conversation and try to get a feel for how they were holding up. Some were solo and some were part of a group, they had good days and they had bad days, sometimes the weather would close in and they would be stranded for days at a time in their tent. It was always interesting. I worked long hours for months on end, 12-14 hour days were the norm with no days off, it was extremely rewarding.
I was nowhere near the coast. There is no wildlife, nothing survives. The only noise is the wind.
You are at the mercy of the weather. If the wind gets up or the clouds close in no flights can come or go. One group finished their expedition and were stuck for 2 weeks before a weather window cleared and they got back to Chile. Risky if you have a reason to get back.
People were there for various reasons. Wealthy Japanese tourists would fly in and be transported to the Pole. There were scientists and government field parties, expeditions setting off on various routes to the Pole, supported and unsupported. There were groups who would come in to ski the last degree. Hardcore mountaineers climbed Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica in order to become members of the 7 summits club – climbers who have summited the highest peak on all 7 continents. There were runners who came to run the Ice Marathon and 100k, I was lucky enough to be able to run it for free as a member of staff and finished in the top 5 out of about 20 runners. Pretty good with no training and very little sleep.
The best thing about the whole trip for me was the people I met – from all walks of life, doing what they were born to do. There’s something to be admired about a man who has a passion and builds his life around it. Especially when that passion is climbing the world’s highest peaks. I met guys who had summited Everest multiple times (in addition to failed attempts). I listened to a talk from a guy who was on the team that found the remains of George Mallory. I heard first hand how Annapurna is the toughest mountain in the world to climb. I listened to my boss laugh about the time he climbed El Capitan and spent the nights in a Portaledge. Google it – fuck that. I also met guys who have normal jobs like the rest of us and just decided to do something out of the ordinary – get really fit, do a few endurance events (the Marathon Des Sables being a common one) to prove they could hack it and earn their attempt at the Pole, raise funds, off you go. The pilots flew those tiny little twin otter planes all the way from Canada to the South Pole. There were meteorologists, guides, doctors and all sorts of other interesting people from around the world. Hearing their stories was cool, the doc told me about a guy on an expedition who went for a piss and forgot to do his flies up, leading to a frostbitten dick. Poor bastard. A lot of guys lose fingers and toes because a cold injury sets in and turns into full blown frostbite, guys take risks with this shit because for many it’s a once in a lifetime thing to try and reach the Pole. The cost of returning is prohibitive for most.
I have a hankering to go back.
A few pics.
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