And Winter Continues....

The temperature outside is minus 10 degrees C, and the days are rapidly getting shorter. It gets light at around 9.15 am and it is dark by 6.30pm.
But life still carries on here at Rothera.

We only 'work' a five-day week here, although we all are available and on stand-by for 24 hours a day, but, whereas we all have the weekend off, our chef, Riet (he's Belgian) has Thursday and Sunday off. That means that someone else has to cook for the day.
I had a turn at cooking for the masses on Thursday. 6 people are currently out on their winter trips, but it was still a long day in the kitchen preparing and cooking hot and wholesome food for 15 cold, hungry people.

Breakfast is a help-your-self to cereal and toast time, but I made sure there was fresh coffee on the go.

For Smoko (our mid-morning break), I served up hot cheese and bacon toasties.

For lunch there was reheated leftovers from the last night's dinner (we don't waste anything here!), but I also prepared a fresh salad, and all accompanied by my bread rolls, baked from scratch and hot from the oven.
I've never baked bread before, so I'm particularly proud of my bread rolls. To be honest, I did what everyone else does - follow the recipe and directions that were printed out and stuck on the kitchen wall, but it was a pretty special moment when I tore one open, buttered it and savoured the moment. Mmmmmm.......




































Dinner was a well recieved Mediteranean lamb hotpot, followed by my second triumph of the day - fresh baked, chocolate-covered, butter shortbread and cream. The chocolate topping impressed everyone, as did the shortbread itself, but it was only melted down Mars bars....6 of them!!!

It may not have been the healthiest menu of the week, but it all seemed to go down well. Even Riet went back for seconds, which was very satisfying.














Also this week, I've been snowboarding up at Vals, our private piste. I crashed a lot (a bit chilly, burying your face in the snow in minus 10 temperatures) but lots of fun. Like everything else that I've attempted for the first time down here, I'm sure I'll get better with more practice.








Tonight is the start if my stint on nightwatch; a week of solitude and lonliness, taking care of the base whilst everyone else sleeps. We all take a turn, and some enjoy it more than others, but it is a vital and necessary part of our life, and survival, down here in Antarctica.

For me, it's just another week in Paradise.....

Back From The Wasteland....

I've had an amazing week away from base and I've experienced life as an intrepid Antarctic explorer from the pioneering days.

All winterers get two weeks holiday, just like you lot back home. We get one week in early winter and one week in late winter. We have a choice of things to do. Some choose to stay local to Rothera, climbing the local peaks and exploring the mysterious crevasses in the areas around the base; some choose to have a lazy week on base, just chilling out watching dvds and skiing; others choose to get away from the base completely, exploring Antarctica, sucking up the Antarctic experience.
I, of course, chose the latter option. I wanted to go to visit the Chilean base of Carvajal, at the southern-most tip of Adelaide Island.

We always go out in pairs. I was paired up with Dave Routledge, the most experienced FGA (Field General Assistant) in the winter team. Dave has been working for BAS since 1990 and he is the veteran of seven Antarctic winters, so I knew that I'd be in good hands.

There is an awful lot that we need to know to survive out in the field. We can't just leave it all to our expert GA; we have to contribute to our joint survival, so, prior to our departure, Dave took me out for some refresher training. That went well, and Dave was happy that I could cope ok. I also had to have a field medical training refresher session with Dr Matt, just in case....

Monday morning we set off, accompanied by two other teams. The weather was crisp and bright.
We each had a skidoo and nansen sledge for the trip. We hooked the sledges up to the 'Doos, then we linked the two 'Doo/sledges together and we set off. We link all the vehicles and sledges together and tie ourselves securely to the 'Doos for safety because the Antarctic terrain has many hidden crevasses. If one of the 'Doos goes down a crevasse the ropes provide safety lifelines. That's why we have to have all the field and medical training; so we could rescue each other when help could be many hours or even days away.



















We set off on a five-hour journey towards our base camp location.
To get to the south of Adelaide Island from Rothera you first have to head north.
We rode through Stork Bowl and waved goodbye to the two teams who were to spend their week climbing the local peaks. Then it was a long arduous descent down through the notorious McCallum's Pass. McCallums Pass is a heavily crevassed route down to the Shambles Glacier. The Shambles glacier flows west to east across the middle of the island. We headed west along the Shambles, and then turned south onto the Fuchs Ice Piedmont on the other side of the Island. From there it's due south all the way to Carvajal. As with everywhere in Antarctica, it is a potentially dangerous route needing good visibility and contrast to ensure both parties cross safely.

I know all these names don't mean much to you, but if you close your eyes and try to imagine these places you will pretty much see what I mean.

The journey was going pretty good so far. We'd made very good time through McCallum's and the Shambles. The temperature was below freezing and I was enjoying riding the skidoo over varying terrain and through stunning scenery. It was almost like being back home, enjoying a good ride-out on my motorbike.













But things can change very quickly in Antarctica.
After about three hours the weather started to change; the wind picked up and the sky darkened. We pressed on for another hour through the rapidly deteriorating weather until we reached our base camp location; a place at the bottom of a mountain called The Myth.
We parked up the 'Doos and started to unload the camping gear the sledges.
At that point the weather got nasty.... very nasty!!!!
The wind suddenly picked up and snow was falling heavily and the temperature dropped. We had the start of a blizzard!!!
Pitching the tent was so difficult in such extreme conditions, but Dave's experience proved to be a major factor in getting the tent erected. It was exhausting work, fighting against the angry Antarctic weather, but we managed to get the camp set up.
We crawled into the tent; Dave got the stove lit and a welcome brew going and we settled down to sit out the storm. Dave later said that it was the second-worst weather that he'd had to pitch a tent in all of his career!!!
The blizzard continued to increase in ferocity.
We spoke to Rothera on our evening "sched" and they were experiencing 50knot winds around the base. We estimated that the wind peaked at almost 70mph that night, but we were safe and snug in our tent.




The following morning the wind had dropped off significantly and it had stopped snowing. We got the shovels out and started to dig out the 'Doos and all our other stuff that had been buried in the blizzard.














The wind had blown the snow into amazing sculptures, called sastrugi







With the prospect of potentially good weather ahead of us, we set off on an hour-long ride to Carvajal.

Carvajal used to be a British base called Adelaide Island Station, and consists of five buildings - living/accomodation building, genny shed, garage, trades workshops and an additional accomodation building. It was built in 1961. The buildings were originally intended to be built here at Rothera, thus establishing the base here, but for two seasons the ship couldn't get here due to bad weather, so the base was built at what is now known as Carvajal.
The British occupied and operated the base until 1977. Rothera opened in 1975, and operations were gradually moved over. The base was given to Chile in 1984 and renamed Teniente Luis Carvajal Villaroel Antarctic Base (Teniente Carvajal) and is used as a summer-only base, although it looks like the Chileans haven't actually been there for years. The base is overrun now with fur seals and elephant seals.


















































Wandering around the base was like walking back in time. The place has barely changed from the day it was built. Men used to winter here! By comparison, we've got it easy with the modern facilities at Rothera.

Soon it was time to head back to camp
When we got back to camp the wind had picked up again, but it wasn't unpleasant. I was mesmerised for a while as I watched ice crystals dancing across the surface of the snow.





Dave cooked up an ace dinner and we settled in for the night with a bottle of wine and Dave telling more amazing tales of this continent that he loves so passionately.
The sunset that evening was particularly beautiful....












Wednesday we awoke to clear skies and sunshine. Brilliant!!!











Today's plan was to ride south to the Sloman Glacier.
From there we'd ride along the glacier....










....to a little mountain called Snow Ditte....










....which we were going to climb??!!! Hmmm.....!!!

The climb itself was pretty straightforward. It was an ice climb so we'd only need crampons and ice-axes. We roped ourselves together for safety and set off, with Dave leading the way










It started off quite easy, but soon got steeper.... much steeper!!
Two-and-a-half hours later we climbed onto a plateau about 150metres from the summit. The view across Marguerite Bay was just breathtaking!!!










I decided that we wouldn't push on to the summit because I was extremely tired and there was a danger that the weather could change for the worst. Dave agreed. He wasn't even out of breath, but I was puffing like an old boiler!!! Later, when we were unloading the skidoos I felt the weight of Dave's rucksack.... mine felt like a teabag in comparison!!!! I really must try to get fit!!



















That night we had another beautiful sunset, followed by a crystal-clear sky, full of stars.











Of course, with no cloud cover, the overnight temperature dropped dramatically, and we woke to a thick layer of frost inside the tent, and our bottles of water frozen solid. We think the temperature must have been as low as -10 degrees C.


Thursday turned out to be another fine day. We went back to Carvajal for another visit. This time we wandered along the coast, enjoying the wildlife, although not the smell.





















I had another good look around the base, enjoying the atmosphere of times gone by, then we headed back to camp again.


Friday was not a good day for weather. We intended to head for the Mangin/Barrie Pass to do some more climbing.
We set out but had to turn back after an hour's riding. The visibility had reduced to 30 to 40 metres and the contrast was almost nil. It was like looking through a steamed-up window.











We couldn't tell what kind of terrain we were riding over. We couldn't see to anticipate the bumps and dips, or see if there were any crevasses. It was just too dangerous so we headed back to camp.
That's how it stayed all day. We checked outside every hour but it didn't change.
I read a book....
all of it....
from cover to cover.

Saturday we explored the area around The Myth in the good weather.





























Then it was a brilliant but uneventful five-hour ride home, where we had to unpack all the gear from the sledges, clean it all and stow it all away in it's place, ready for the next team to use.
Then it was back to my room for a hot shower.....!
I wasn't exactly minging, but that shower felt so good after a week living with limited facilities.

After the shower it was off to the bar to tell everyone what a brilliant time I'd had.

All in all, it was a most memorable trip. I experienced the full range of Antarctic weather - the power of nature's fury, the boredom of the fog, seriously sub-zero temperatures and the stunning, crisp, white sunny days.
I saw the true, deep beauty of the Antarctic at first hand.
I also enjoyed the climbing, camping and isolation, just two of us miles from anywhere and anyone, in an unspoilt wilderness. The air smelt and tasted so clean and so fresh.
And I enjoyed the skidoo riding. My shoulders ached because skidoos are very physical to ride. They require a lot of input. But I'm a biker at heart so I didn't mind the hours in the saddle of a beast that rides like a motorbike, but handles like a leaky boat.

Other things happening around the base:
The temperature is dropping steadily and we've had snowfall, but more high winds blew it all away.
Riet, our chef, has been away on his winter trip this week, so we've had an eclectic mix of meals from enthusiastic and very competent base members. I didn't get a chance to cook because the rota went up whilst I was away, but I'm sure I'll get a chance soon.
We've got a pub quiz tonight, with bragging rights at stake. Should be very competetive and a lot of fun.