First month of the season and important steps to come

First month down

As you know from the previous posts, bad weather delayed the technical team for four days. It was a bit of scramble to get everything ready for the arrival of the first scientists.

Launching all systems, clearing the snow from the garages and solar panels as well as going through the full technical check list takes approximately four days.

This year, we had some small problems caused by strong winds during the previous winter. Nothing major but two wind turbines had to be serviced and thoroughly tested afterwards. Maybe you do not see it from the pictures but these things are huge, so it is a time-consuming task. Luckily, no big problems were detected and everything is now running smoothly.

The station itself is a lot calmer right now. Four scientists, Alain and a field guide went to the coast for the first big scientific expedition of the season, while the Japanese team has gone to the abandoned Asuka station to do their research. To add to the lighter mood, the weather has been really good, with temperatures between -10°C and -13°C and practically no wind.

Before their trip, we went with the Japanese scientists for some crevasse training 20 km away from the station. For newcomers, this is always quite an experience - descending into a crevasse in the middle of Antarctica! This is also the best way to get them used to the dangers lurking underneath the snow and the ice.

Next up

We will have a big crew shift around Christmas, with part of the technical team being replaced and new scientists arriving for the second half of the season. That will also be the last plane we will see (and bring us fresh food) before the two flights flying us all out at the end of the season.

This year, we have quite a lot of small logistical work in the field: a new GPS station to deploy and test, several scientific instruments to install and replace, and some samples to be collected.

From a technical standpoint, we plan no major development this year. We have a number of minor adjustments to make, which will keep our small but efficient team quite busy.

The arrival of the ship is also always a challenge. Come mid-January, all Prinoths have to drive the 200km to the coast, which takes about 20 hours. That's generally followed by a 48 hour rush to unload the ship. This year we have to deal with heavy equipment, including the digger donated by Komatsu. Transporting this equipment to the station will be quite a challenge! Kristof is currently busy building a custom platform to secure the digger for the duration of the traverse.