At long-last!
My dream has come true! Snowboarding on a polar ice cap. Raytheon has a new policy allowing alpine skiing (including snowboarding) around the base. Previously only x-country skiing was allowed but their policy has been re-evaluated and they have determined that the benefits in morale outweigh the potential hazard. There is a small closet they call Gear Issue where equipment and literature of all sorts is lent or rented out. Last year they had boards but someone forgot to buy bindings (the device used to attach the boot to the board). They arrived on the last flight. So I spent my day off exploring the potential of the surrounding snowfields with my friend Jeff; a fellow s-boarder from Vermont. We took one run off Ob Hill that took us all the way out on to the sea ice where we saw a couple of seals dozing.
The weather has been beautiful most of the week; cold but clear. The C-130 Hercules arrived night before last. The Polies were supposed to fly out today but bad weather canceled their flight. It also canceled most everything out at the runway including the galley. I spent most of the day in the main galley with a short run out to bring food to the firemen who stay out at the airstrip 24hrs a day. It was pretty crazy, there were high winds, low visibility and drifting snow. But it was no match for the galley truck.
Luke
Hi, I’d really like to chat to you guys about working/living in the antarctic… Can you please email me? jonathan@fido.co.za.
Thanks, j.