Covered in Snow and Digging Ourselves Out
After the first team of the BELARE 2008-09 expedition arrived at Utsteinen, they got right down to clearing away the snow that had piled up during the winter. Katabatic winds blowing over the continental plateau and out towards the coasts of Antarctica had left their mark on the landscape since the members of the last expedition left in March 2008.
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It's not that we're constipated, it's just that there's a lot of snow and it's coming down hard and fast.
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Everyone at base camp wakes up under a blanket of snow...
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Snow-covered toilets... talk about bad weather!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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The door to the office. Snow has accumulated everywhere! The door handle is almost completely covered!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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The second Mini Bull backhoe loader in front of a UFO that has landed at Utsteinen!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Garage. It's barely recognizable under the snow. The Prinoth tractor gets to work...
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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The building site for the garage annex: It needs to be cleared of snow again! The whole station is under snow. After 12 hours the wind has finally calmed down!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Icicles usually hang vertically... except in Antarctica! They don't always have to obey the laws of gravity, do they? Not if you've got the wind on your side!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Wind: 1; gravity: 0
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Urinal: If one day there's ever a urinal photo contest, this one would certainly win first prize!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Our lovely Utsteinen Golf Course: It is maintained by our lovely tractor. Nice set of wheels, eh?
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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GOOD TIMES! The boss won't let anyone stand around idle! But you can tell from the boss's face that he's having himself some...
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Our lovely Utsteinen Golf CourseFirst day of nice weather. It is maintained by our lovely tractor. Nice set of wheels, eh? The first day of nice weather means the first day of hardcore ploughing!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Clearing away the snow: We've got a big job to do clearing away the snow upwind from camp to make sure no snow accumulates during the next snowstorm (forecasted for December 15th!)
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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The idea isn't to clear away the snow, but to smooth it out. Presenting the Utsteinen Golf Course... between the first hole and the clubhouse!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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The toilets after they've been cleared of snow...Nice job! And tomorrow it looks like we'll have even more work to do...bad weather has been forecasted.
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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It's like the snow wants to completely engulf us! It sticks everywhere and to everything! We're afraid of our poor, flimsy metal bodies disappearing under the snow as we moan and twist in the wind!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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More snow left by the blizzard. On the left under a blanket of snow we find the generator, which ensures a certain level of comfort, while on the right we find the container filled with medical supplies, which has almost completely disappeared!
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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8:00 AM Monday morning. The station has weathered the storm and still stands proud in the sea of ice around it.
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
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Monday, December 15th, 8:45 AM... still snowing. The ice coring machine stands in the workshop as Jürgen and Kristof, our talented mechanics, work their magic on it.
© International Polar Foundation/ NRC
