South Pole is Spook Country

Rivka Tadjer

Junior Member

posted

Okay, one more time with feeling now. Can you tell it's my first day? I love these photos. What a pleasant surprise. So what was your motivation to spend 13 months at the pole? Is Al Gore right -- is it time to buy beach front property there? And 20 minutes in jeans in that weather is pretty impressive. Long undies I hope, at least. otherwise we'll have to think you're one of the lizard people.

quote:
Originally posted by Rivka Tadjer:
quote:
Originally posted by CuspTech:
Well, once you've been down here a while you get somewhat used to the temperatures and can shed some layers. It was about -25F with 14-knot winds when I got these pics taken on Sunday, which put the windchill at around -50F. It wasn't the most comfortable temperature/clothing combination, but I was only outside for 20 minutes or so.

The shiny globe, with a dent in it, is the ceremonial pole marker. If you look in the first picture there is a small pole with a brass top just to my left. That's the actual geographical pole marker.

I definitely had other motivations to come here for 13 months besides taking these pictures, but wanted to read the book and didn't have time before I deployed. You have to make your own entertainment down here, and this seemed like it would be an interesting way to spend a half-hour!

The week before some Star Wars fans, including me, got together and took photos in a jedi robe and wielding a lightsaber. The pics all got photoshopped together, and the organizer is going to try and get it sent in to Star Wars Insider (or some such fan mag).

Posts: 2 | Registered: June 19, 2008

Ignored post by Rivka Tadjer posted

Member

posted

Hey all,

Sorry again for the big gap in posting here. It has most definitely not been due to a plethora of "getting busy", rather just the usual busy of a 90-hour work week. I'm not on day 160 since my last day off, so there's a little bit of a Groundhog Day Effect going on here.

We did have a good time for the solstice (mid-winter down here), and a big concert was thrown in the gymnasium. We're a lot different this winter than last when it comes to music talent on station. Last year they couldn't field a single band, but winter 2008 has five bands. Go figure... Anyhow, I play in The Re-Tardis(shown in pic below, I'm on the far right), which plays all cover music of classic and contemporary rock. Check out my blog for some more pics (and links to more) from the concert. I really just started playing guitar in February, and haven't done any singing like this ever. It has been a total blast, and we hope to culminate the season with a huge bash once some more people get here when the station opens in October/November.

The word on the street for our weather forecast is for -100F tomorrow, so we might actually get to do the 300 club. For those not in the know, you crank the sauna up to +200F and run outside for a little while at a temperature 300 degrees Fahrenheit colder than you just left. This is naturally done in various states of undress.

Current weather at SP:
Temperature: -84.8F/-64.9C
Wind Chill: -118.6F/-83.7C
Wind: 7.5 knots
Barometer: 671.5 mb (10,950 ft)

retardis.jpg (56 Kb, 498 downloads)

Posts: 260 | Location: post-S.Pole/home for now | Registered: November 27, 2007

Ignored post by CuspTech posted

Hive

Member

posted

Minus 83! Minus 83! I could do with that right now - my flat's waaaay to warm.

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Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt.

Posts: 385 | Registered: October 03, 2007

Ignored post by Hive posted

Member

posted

What was playing on the "big screen" at South Pole a while back:

aurorastationcornerMED.jpg (24 Kb, 445 downloads)

Posts: 260 | Location: post-S.Pole/home for now | Registered: November 27, 2007

Ignored post by CuspTech posted

Hive

Member

posted

Ooooooh, lovely. A great shot, too.

(I've seen the northern cousin of this just once, in Russia - it looked like the sky was boiling with red ribbons. It's not something you ever forget.)

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Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt.

Posts: 385 | Registered: October 03, 2007

Ignored post by Hive posted

Anabel

Member

posted

Surreal! Swell shot!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nurturing my inner clown.

"I do great literary theremin.”-Gibson

Posts: 4510 | Location: Central coast of California. | Registered: January 19, 2005

Ignored post by Anabel posted

Sentinel400

Member

posted

quote:
Originally posted by CuspTech:
For those not in the know, you crank the sauna up to +200F and run outside for a little while at a temperature 300 degrees Fahrenheit colder than you just left. This is naturally done in various states of undress.

And then what?! You go straight to the infirmary? Wouldn't this be like spacewalking without a helmet? Can you tell my mind has just been shattered?!

Posts: 4719 | Location: England swings like a pendulum do | Registered: January 25, 2003

Ignored post by Sentinel400 posted

theminx

Member

posted

It's OK, Sent, they're only degrees Fahrenheit

_____________________________________
::swoon::

Posts: 6593 | Location: Vancouver, BC | Registered: August 05, 2007

Ignored post by theminx posted

Member

posted

Well, I assume you probably jump back in the sauna. The temperatures have been relatively warm lately, today it's -74F, but September is the coldest month on record. Hopefully we'll get back down in that century club ballpark by that time.

Posts: 260 | Location: post-S.Pole/home for now | Registered: November 27, 2007

Ignored post by CuspTech posted

Sentinel400

Member

posted

"Hopefully". Not quite the context I'm used to seeing that word in...

Posts: 4719 | Location: England swings like a pendulum do | Registered: January 25, 2003

Ignored post by Sentinel400 posted

1RogueSabre

Junior Member
Picture of 1RogueSabre

posted

Greetings to all of you at the South Pole! I'm new to this site and am intrigued not only by your lives and work, but by the history of the South Pole itself. My question is to any and all who wish to reply, so here goes. How does one get a job at the South Pole?

Posts: 1 | Registered: August 03, 2008

Ignored post by 1RogueSabre posted

VillianGlib-sinBored

Member

posted

Hello there CT. Greetings from the contiguous 48!
I've been reading Heidi's blog and she said that your July emergency response training drill got on well.
Apparently, she and Michael are going to tie the knot. Please tell her that a small contingent of blogging supporters on the West Coast send her a big hug, congrats, and best wishes for her future.
How is she doing? Please let us know! Cheers.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
elecktrik dragon say: when you take hydra too seriously, the fire that burns you forms from your own mind.
שויתי יהוה לנגדי תמיד

Posts: 1530 | Location: K.C. | Registered: May 28, 2008

Ignored post by VillianGlib-sinBored posted

Member

posted

Sorry for consolidating answers into one posting:

Well, we'll hopefully hit -100F so I can get to do this crazy tradition. Why come here if not to participate in stuff you can't do anywhere else? After all, only just over 1,200 people have spent a winter down here at Pole.

If you are an American, or think you can navigate the paperwork maze as a foreign national, you'll have the best luck applying to Raytheon Polar Services. They contract operations support to the National Science Foundation's U.S. Antarctic Program. They have online applications for the jobs, as well as job fairs around the U.S. that you can attend. Actually, the best way to get down here is to be friends/relatives with somebody with influence in the program. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people, so best of luck. It definitely takes persistence. I had to come down here as a dishwasher my first time, and this was just a few months after I finished a Master's degree in aerospace engineering! Luck of the draw, I guess.

Finally, I relayed the good wishes to Heidi, and she replied: "How sweet! Thanks for passing this along and please tell them thanks for the well wishes and for checking out the blog!"

Anyhow, thanks for writing everybody. I'll do my best to keep on top of updates and answering questions as I have time. If you want a more constant feed of info from this end of things then check out my blog. Happy trails!

Posts: 260 | Location: post-S.Pole/home for now | Registered: November 27, 2007

Ignored post by CuspTech posted

Vesper

Member

posted

Great thread, I love it.

Made me think of

straight away.

Amazing pics, thanks for sharing!
I wonder what one should do to top that ;-)

blink.

Posts: 1027 | Location: N 53˚34' W 6˚26' | Registered: March 09, 2004

Ignored post by Vesper posted

Anabel

Member

posted

Hi Cusp Tech.
Managed to watch Herzog's "Encounter..." film tonight and was just thoroughly enjoying it, to see the landscape, & meet the folks I think in `06.

My pal, a fellow movie viewer who once worked on computer research that seguaed into military [which is when he quit] muttered on some of the expiraments being done down there.

Sorry about the spelling errors. Getting use to a whole new Mac system...corralling pc mail files, new spell check, downloading archived stuff while trying to do it without fucking up my refs.

McMurdo does look a little over-trod in the daylight. Still, I watched to see where you are.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nurturing my inner clown.

"I do great literary theremin.”-Gibson

Posts: 4510 | Location: Central coast of California. | Registered: January 19, 2005

Ignored post by Anabel posted

Member

posted

Well, the sky is beginning to light up again. There is a bit of melancholy at the departure of the fully dark night sky, but it has to get light (and a lot warmer) before we get to redeploy. A couple nights ago we hit -99.9F, so -100F isn't out of the question totally before the end of winter.

This is the beginnings of twilight glowing on the horizon. Definitely bittersweet...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CuspTech,

twilight.jpg (9 Kb, 345 downloads)

Posts: 260 | Location: post-S.Pole/home for now | Registered: November 27, 2007

Ignored post by CuspTech posted