I may have an opporutinity to venture south for some months in the freezer.

Has anyone been? Any experiences to share?

Have you seen The Thing? Take some wire and a portable gas torch, just to be safe. Oh, and a gun. 🙂

Seriously though, sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity. I think you need a pretty specific mindset to be able to thrive there though – how do you get on with other people?

I’ve been as far as South Georgia and it’s absolutely beautiful. I wouldn’t want to spend longer than about 6 months down there but an indication of what an amazing opportunity you have ahead of you is that people will pay a huge amount to get anywhere near there on a cruise ship.

Enjoy yourself and post pics on your return.

used to work with a guy who was there for a bit. He said it was cold (really?) and after a while boring (again, really?). He said what grated on him in the end was the sheer effort to do simple things e.g. he had to operate a digger and it took an hour each morning just to start the engine.

it took an hour each morning just to start the engine.

My Morris Minor was like that. Right pain in the arse.

Been to SG. On a mate’s homemade skip ermm yacht from Patagonia. The 13 days to get there was ok, just. Then we spent about 6 weeks on the island climbing, then the sail back to Uruguay was on the limit of life.

It’s a fantastic place, I have friends who are reguarly on the peninsula and at Rothera. But depending what you are doing you might be massively constrained in terms of what you are allowed to do. I’m talking BAS Risk Assessments.

I loved SG as it was not all glacial and had wild beaches, tussock grass, peat bogs etc bit Scottish.

You really could never consider not going if you’ve been offered to go, and can realistically do it (unless it’s on a cruise: don’t do it)

GUNZ: what were you doing in SG?

I know of a few people at my present work who used to work for BAS, although most of the scientists I know who have been to Antarctica went on cruise ships and only visited the Antarctic base(s) for a few days to a week, the rest of the time was spent at sea. Are you applying for one of the BAS Field Assistant positions (linky)?

My impression is its a really beautiful but also strange place to spend any length of time, because of the fact you live in the self-contained base. You have to get along with people, experience of living in close conditions is really beneficial! I would recommend applying for the 6 month summer season only (to begin with). Overwintering sounds like it can be very claustrophic and you also start to lose perception of things like colour (I genuinely heard this from more than one source).

But for those down sides, it can be a once in a lifetime opportunity to be paid to go somewhere other people pay thousands to get to, and most staff will have the opportunity to venture outside of the base stations and see the amazing wildlife (though be careful of the leopard seals!)

Good luck, whatever you chose to do.

I spent 2 1/2 years at Rothera some time ago. Life down there has changed a lot in the intervening decade but if you get the chance sign on the dotted line without a seconds thought, it’s awesome. I worked as Field GA so had the chance to travel extensively off base and spend two winters down there. For any small downsides/constraints you get the chance to live and work in a unique environment: not just the physical environment but the work environment as well. Even if you never leave the base it will be an adventure.

If you get the chance to winter I would take it. For me it was the real Antarctic experience being on a base with a small wintering team, having to cope with any problems that may occur independent of outside help; travelling in some fairly extreme conditions. It is probably worth mentioning that I haven’t done any mountaineering since I returned. After 3 seasons and 2 winters of full time mountaineering/polar travel I was happy to hang up my boots and pick up a bike and a sea kayak instead!

It is a decade since I came back but if you want any practical advice I’m happy to help out.

it took an hour each morning just to start the engine.

My old Suzuki was like that too – tickling those carbs became a bit of a chore.

It’s the one continent I haven’t stepped foot on, and would love to go…but not sure if I would fancy it for ‘months’…

He said it was cold (really?) and after a while boring (again, really?). He said what grated on him in the end…

Some people really don’t appreciate the chance to experience something like this. Which is fair enough, I suppose – it’s pretty nuts to relish in the opportunity to spend months in the most inhospitable conditions on earth! It’s just your average person would rather spend a week in Ibiza.

It all depends where you fit in that spectrum. I’d love to go, personally. Spending ‘months’ there would be a bit of a challenge mind, I’m sure, but if that was my opportunity…

Can you take a bike??

I decided not to apply for the BAS after uni because I didn’t want to spend 6 months without any biking. What a pillock..

My Mum and four friends sailed there this January. Ostensibly their mission was to present a tribute to Lawrence Oates on behalf of the Royal Cruising Club to the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. The Antarctic Heritage Trust run the museum at the one time British scientific research station at Port Lockroy.

Sounds like an amazing place. You can find out more about their trip on this blog:
http://blog.mailasail.com/mina2/256

I’ve never been but my uncle did some research down there. The Royal Geographical Society recently named a mountain ridge after him. Chalmers ‘Clapperton Ridge’ . Poor bloke suffered a stroke, so I doubt he’ll ever see it.

I generally go to Iceland most saturday mornings…..its not just for mums you know 😉

My great great uncle went but never came back. I’d love to go, I wouldn’t turn that opportunity down.

Ostensibly their mission was to present a tribute to Lawrence Oates

I thought he was dead?

My great great uncle went but never came back

Was he Lawrence Oates?

Ant-who-tica?

The post is over winter looking after IT kit for BAS. Details are a bit sketchy ATM, but hope to discover more at the interview. If I’m offered the job, I think I’d be mad to turn it down. The drop in pay will take some getting used to though.

Was he Lawrence Oates?

No, Henry Bowers

Friend of mine works there most winters. Claustrophobic, intense etc. You get a lot of psychological help to cope with it. I mean lets face it you are basically trapped inside for a few months. Without reasonable hope of rescue as they can’t fly in during winter. He loves it mainly because he is the sort of person that can cope with it and he has a couple of projects he gets on with. Drinking is an issue as well he says, as in, nothing else to do.

Without reasonable hope of rescue as they can’t fly in during winter.

I listened to a talk by the doctor who was trapped at the polar base while treating herself for breast cancer and guiding a junior colleague while he performed surgery on her. Basically as she was briefed before she went it would be easier to rescue someone from the moon than the south pole in the middle of winter. Get your appendix whipped out if you are going. 🙂

My friend has spent 3 summers working at Scott Base. She loves it down there. Doesn’t drink. Takes her road bike & turbo trainer even. Works a lot by the sounds of it but gets to go on heli trips, skis, and hikes. By all accounts sounds like an opportunity not to be missed.

Mate over wintered with BAS @ Rothera quite a few years ago, and would go back tomorrow if it didn’t mean the end of a current relationship.
Most of his stories echo what has been said above, but he has that whistfull look in his eyes whenever he talks about it.

I had ten weeks as a government scientist on an exploratory fishing boat in the Ross Sea about 15 years ago before I came to the UK.

Whales every day – including an astonishing encounter with a Blue Whale, getting trapped in ice, watching penguins and albatross, catching huge fish bigger than me, catching weird fish that have never been seen before, following an Italian icebreaker through 200 miles of sea ice.

Pretty damned amazing, actually. And I got paid for it!

Only bummer was that we didn’t get to set foot on solid land, but hey ho.

Mugsy
I was down there on HMS Leeds Castle as part of a tour in the Falklands so only a short visit but still something I’ll always remember.
I loved the way the seals would chase you at just above walking speed so you had to skip out the way at a slightly fey not quite walking or running speed (the sight of my permanently angry Captain prancing along like John Inman will always stay with me).

I was the wintering comms manager at Rothera a few seasons ago. Do it. Don’t hesitate, do it. People talk about once in a life time opportunities. This is yours.

I lived more in 18 months than the rest of my life put together. I learnet to ski, flew a small plane, ran on my own in the evenings with wales rising in the bay as company, fixed antenna at -20C with a howling gale 40foot up a mast, cried, laughed, and rode a mountain bike down a glacier (there are two on base).

One thing to bare in mind is that the job isn’t that technical. You are looking after the equipment and in no way making any decisions about how IT/comms works down there. There is a permanent team in Cambridge who do all that. In the summer you work 7 days a week, mostly as air traffic control for that part of the continent. In the winter you work 7 hours a week, the remainder is filled with experiences you’ll tell your kids about.

If that doesn’t make you hungry for it, here is the picture from the office window:

The walk between buildings:

The after work playground:

My morning run/cycle:

I went there looking for adventure. I got that and bought back something much more precious. We’ll be married next year.

Good luck.

Ive been to ICELAND, lots of fridges,like Currys,

if you wanna keep biking this might be handy there !

Ive been to ICELAND, lots of fridges,like Currys,

I like curries too

Leave the Iceland jokes, boys – they might have been funny if you’d got the right hemisphere 😆

I was wondering why the iceland jokes but assumed I was being dumb somewhere along the line.

I looked into this, they’re claiming ~1000:1 applicants:jobs for the BAS. Not sure I could be bothered with those odds! Also not entirely sure I could cope with 7 months of dark and limited human contact.

I looked into this, they’re claiming ~1000:1 applicants:jobs for the BAS. Not sure I could be bothered with those odds! Also not entirely sure I could cope with 7 months of dark and limited human contact.

Result! It’s 999:1 now 🙂

With you greenmug…. I work for BAS on one of the ships. If you have no ties, go for it. Someone mentioned drinking being a problem – not any more as it is policed slightly to stop people coming out pickled. If you get a choice of places this is my humble opinion:

Rothera – fun place you will get to go play on water, ice, cliffs, planes, skidoo – biggest of the bases.
Halley – new building on a flat White expance of nothing – special in it’s own way. This is the true antarctia.
South Georgia – the least isolated. You will get visits from cruise ships weekly during the summer, most beautiful place. (my pick if I were to winter)
Bird island- bit like living in a zoo Seals and birds everywhere you walk. Very small base (only 4 overwintering I think)

Dont think any of the other bases overwinter…

Don’t worry about the step down in pay – you won’t have the opportunity to spend when down there and living expences

are taken care of so waterer the salary is, imagine adding another 10k on top of it. You will come home with a few quid in your pocket. They even have the Internet (though my double post has just proven it not to be to reliable!)

I have. I flew over it with my friend a snowman 😀

Thanks all. This is getting me quite excited, but I’m trying to remain grounded as I don’t have the job yet!

Great to hear some first hand experiences!

Can anyone offer any practical interview advice? As much as I want the job, My current plan is just trying to be myself and let the cards fall where they may. I guess you have to trust that they will pick the best person for the job, which I suppose would be best for both parties.

Just be yourself. It’s worth thinking about any previous experience of working and living in close proximity to others as this is a big part of what you will be doing. If you have any family ties to home (kids/wife), its worth preparing your spiel about how you have already discussed it with your loved ones and everyone is happy.

It won’t be your professional qualifications which will get you the job. It’ll be the other things. Things you do after work which prove you have the get up and go that they are looking for.

Good luck!