John's Antarctic adventure

Has anyone seen our plane?
10th October to the 1st November
So it’s time for a catch up from Ice station Halley brought to you by your bearded hero chef. As a sit and write this the Plane that was due here on Thursday but so far it’s not made it any further than South America. The rumour is that it will arrive on Tuesday, the weather reports across the continent are mixed and a delay of a few days may mean that the plane will not be able to cross the Ronne Mountain range for a week if it does not beat the weather system here.
Since the end of my winter trip and the end of all winter trips two weeks later the levels of activity both on and off station have intensified tremendously.
It began with three big drum line raises. To give us direction in poor weather and contrast the routs to the coast, Halley six, Windy Bay and the perimeter of the station are marked by lines of empty black barrels. Over the winter they become buried by accumulated snow and have to be placed back on the snow surface. With a combined distance of approximately 100km and a drum every 100m that’s a lot of drums. Firstly the top of the barrels is exposed by shovelling away the snow, a strop is then lassoed round the top that is attached to a sledge pulled by a snow cat which is driven forward pulling the barrel out onto the snow surface where it is keyed into the snow and the crew moves onto the next drum. Each of the four routes takes about a day to raise with a 3 or four man team. Well there all done now and were all experts.
The digging doesn’t stop there. Empty barrels are stored in dumps on the fuel line to use to mark out temporary routes on station. Over the winter the 197 barrel dump was buried under the snow surface and had to be raised back onto the snow surface. Ben, Karen, Shifty and I dug, wrestled and hauled them onto the surface. In the muggy warm temperatures of -6deg we were soon sweating and steaming up our goggles. Later in the week Ags, rob and I laid out the flags and drums and opened up Halley international airport for business once more. Nick and Ags took out a Nodwell Crane and lifted the four km marker back onto the snow surface to give the planes a final approach marker to the runway. With Susanna’s fire sledge re-furbished, serviced and ready for action and sledges full of aircraft fuel we are ready for visitors.
Ags and I have been busy cleaning, mending and making up bedrooms for the incoming summer staff and preparing laundry for the 100 other members of summer crew due to arrive over the coming months.
Curley and Shifty have been busy preparing the fleet of vehicles and machines for summer. De-frosting, checking and testing them ready for the heavy workload of the construction season. The air of the once silent ice shelf now buzzes to the sound of Skidoos, bulldozers and tractors. The surface of the snow around the major routes has been groomed by Shifty and I using the Piste basher and a big John Deere tractor. It makes travelling by skidoo and on foot safer and quicker.
Technical services have been busy opening up and powering up the Drewery and Piggott buildings ready to Accommodate and office the build team. First using temporary heaters to warm the buildings then firing main generators and connecting and filling plumbing and waste systems before connecting full electrical and communication systems. The Drewery and the Garage will be moved to their new sites as soon as the plane arrives and Ben and Martin are here to co-ordinate the delicate moves and the new sites are finalised.
To celebrate the last nights of darkness we let of out of date flairs over the ice shelf which Ags photographed. Giles, Nick, Shifty and I co-ordinated by Dr. Gaynor launched rocket and parachute flair high into the night sky. The effects and pictures were spectacular. Hope you like the picture.
Along with major preparations for the summer the base has to be kept working. I assisted Rob with some minor repairs in the tunnel network beneath the base and we measured the ever changing dimensions of the tunnels. The power of the ice is crushing and twisting the tunnels and is in danger of crushing the main laws melt tank chamber over the coming couple of years. The 35m climb down into the tunnels has been caused by continual accumulation over the past 22 years. This increase in pressure and twisting of the ice means that pipe work in the tunnels needs constant maintenance and observations to ensure there are no leeks or shutdowns.
The 28th of October saw the last sunset at Halley for 105 days. By the time the sun sets again the season will be almost over and we will be preparing to leave the ice. It seems strange that so few days ago we were celebrating the return of the sun and now it just won’t go away! It’s strange to look out of the window at midnight and seeing the sun high in the sky.
The high winds of the past few months had damaged one of our major communications array to the point where it had to be lowered to the ground. The good weather gave Karen and Robbie a chance to assess the damage. The main insulating panel of the array had been damaged beyond repair but the array itself was largely in tact. With the combined work and skills of all eleven of us on base and the help of one of my old chopping boards to act as an insulating fixing block the array was repaired and ten of us hauled it back up the 30m masts and when tested worked perfectly. It was great feet requiring the skill of many and the co-operation of all. The challenge of Halley is the fact that we can’t just get a new part. We have to make it, and make it out of whatever we have. So the story goes, the catering department saves the day once again..... Well a chopping board anyway.
Over the last month I have used the last of the fresh ingredients I have stashed to prepare some significant meals. We ate the “Last supper” together before the final winter trip left base as it was expected to be our last Saturday night together. It was a very civilised night where we ate the last of the Potatoes and Onions along with the final Fillet steaks and drank the last of the good red wine. We celebrated a successful winter and the summer to come. Lobster and smoked Salmon, (Gifts from the departing ship) graced the table as a sumptuous starter and a rich Treacle tart closed off the meal. The celebration rolled into the early hours where the cheese board made an appearance with Giles enjoying the last of the Highland Park.
Even amongst the business on station I have managed to take the time to enjoy the good weather, Skiing, Skijoring and Skidoing. Taking a walk around the station and enjoying the still silence of the Brunt ice shelf.
So next week we will enjoy fresh food and fresh company. New stories and new energy will be brought in by the new faces. There will be longer hours and increased pressure. This is what we are here to do. The next four months will see the main module of the Halley six building built and completed and the other seven modules clad in there blue fibreglass shells. It will be 24 hour a day construction throughout the summer once the ship arrives. The progress should be very swift.
For now we await the arrival of the plane and our fresh food.
Hope all is well with everyone at home.
Love to all,

John
xx

Adventures on the ice: Part 2
4th to the 9th October
The third day of our winter adventure dawned bright and clear. We decided that we would head out along the cliff tops to Mobster Bay six kilometres away, a place not visited by BAS for many years but that had once been used as a relief site by BAS ships. The previous day we had found what we suspected to be debris from Halley 4 poking though the ice cliffs just two kilometres from Mobster Bay.
We took a couple of hours to make the 6 km to where we found the debris. Walking along the ice cliffs, stopping often to probe for crevasses and take in the views of the Emperor colonies from our elevated position. It was spectacular to see the mass of black feathered birds against the white of the snow. From the cliff tops we could clearly see the lead of open water and could see areas of it re-freezing as grease ice. In the distance we could see large tabular ice bergs trapped in by the massed sea ice that in summer will begin once again to move around the coast on the currents that circle the southern continent.
As Mobster Bay opened up in front of us we found no more debris from the former base but the lines of pressure ridges caused by the tides on the sea ice were clearly visible. There was a small mass of penguins around a crack in the ice waiting to see who would be bravest to jump in first. Giles did offer Niv and I a night of drinking on him in the bar if either of us dare jump in and show them how it was done but we declined and the gentleman that he is also declined our invitation to show us how it should be done saying he didn’t want to show us up and damage our confidence so early in the trip. What a guy, always thinking of us!
As soon as we made the turn for home, intending to travel this time further inland we could feel the weather turning colder. The still air had picked up to a light breeze and with temperatures around -30deg we were soon pulling on masks and hoods. Any exposed skin at these temperatures with even a light breeze can be frost nipped within a few minutes.
The walk back to camp became a slow march. The three of us in line roped together walking with packs, harnesses and full racks in boots and crampons across the featureless tundra. This was the real Antarctic. Even in this small way for two and a half hours we walked keeping the rope tight as we travelled. My mind filled with thoughts that ninety years ago the real polar hero’s and explorers were the first to do this and that with almost no knowledge and primitive equipment the pushed deep into the heart of the continent in there freezing battle to find the most southern point on earth. Every day you spend on the ice you gain new and deepening respect for what Scott, Shackleton, Mawson and Amundsen did in this “awful place”.
Soon enough for us though we were back at camp and a mug of soup and some biscuits brown and pate later we called in and made our radio schedule. The news was not good, a huge ridge of low pressure heading our way within the next twelve hours causing high winds and snow for several days. That it wouldn’t hit before morning was a chance we decided to take. We headed down to the sea ice for which might be one last time with the bad weather closing in and looking like it could stay like that for the rest of our trip. We quickly descended as the sun set over the ice cliffs and a huge sun halo formed and the moon began to rise orange and red behind us. Too soon the light faded and our time with the penguins was done. Taking one last look we headed back to camp. Perhaps during summer I will get a chance of an evening trip back to the colony but given the work that must be completed before we leave it’s not likely.
Giles as I mentioned before is a big foodie so eating on our winter trip was never going to be simple man food. For this trip though we had come up with something special. We were going to be (possibly) the first winter sledge party to cook Wild Mushroom Risotto with Parmesan dressed with Italian Truffle oil on a primus stove. And guess what we did. 40 minutes after we began we tucked into a magnificent dinner. Lemon Cello Aperitifs, Brie on biscuits brown, followed by the finest Risotto and a glass of Highland Park. How’s that for the dinner of three Antarctic heroes’s roughing it!
The next morning however the jollity was over. We woke at 1st light and quickly realised that if we were to make it back to base before the blow hit it was now or never. It wouldn’t have been a disaster to spend the next few days sitting out the bad weather but it would have left us over 50km from the Rumples Mountains (our next stop if we got chance on our trip). A dash back to base would only leave us just over 25km from the Rumples and able to leave quickly if the weather broke. We broke camp with great efficiency and speed and by 05.30 we were driving back towards Halley with the wind increasing and visibility decreasing as we travelled. By the time we had travelled the 90 minute drive visibility was less than 100m and the wind was rising quickly to hit 35 knots just after we landed back on the platform.
We then had 24 hours sitting out the storm back on base. With a selection of projects to continue with a day in the work shop was in order and accompanied by a couple of action movies it was a very pleasant day.
The following day dawned misty and still. My usual comment of “Give it 20 minutes and it’ll clear up” for once and once only was right. After a quick pack up we were of out onto the ice once again heading for the Rumples Mountains. The blowing snow of the previous twenty four hours had left the surface soft and almost Sastrugi free. This meant smooth travel for the first 20km until we reached the point called the Gate Way. At this point you can head north into the rumples or further east towards the remote relief site of N9. At this point we roped the skidoos together and headed into the crevasse fields of the Rumples. Niv picked us a route through the maze of crevasses and cracks in the ice as the ice shelf grounds out on the mountain range and twists and distorts as it heads towards the coast. Even with Niv’s knowledge and skills you inevitably travel over crevasses and as the Skidoos and sledges travel over the snow bridges that form they break and fall into the void below.
After an hour of travel we stopped at a point known as A10. A remote science site containing GPS locators and magnetometers. This site gave us excellent views of the ice boulder fields and pressure ridges laid out before us. We pushed on into the mountain for another 20 minutes until the boulder field became too dense to travel by skidoo. We roped up, put on our crampons and pushed on into the ice field. Even with the good light it was tough going. Soon without warning Niv disappeared up to his waste into a crevasse. This was a pattern that carried on for the next few hours with each of us taking several small falls into the voids below the snow. We reached the highest point and took in the views around us. The surface of the ice looks like it has been hit by an asteroid where the ice has ground out on the rock below. It is this geological feature that makes the Brunt ice shelf such a stable place to have an ice station. The grounding of the ice stops the shelf breaking off into the Wedal Sea.
Our return to the site of the skidoos saw another crevasse fall for me and as we approached the Skidoo convoy I opened up a deep crevasse and we decided it would be a good site to abseil into it and see the Antarctic from a different perspective. I placed some snow steaks and tied in and in turn we abseiled into the one and a half meter crevasse that went deeper into the ice than we could see or descend. It spread for as far as the eye could see to the North and South. After a few photos I changed over my gear and Jumared out back onto the snow surface.
As we packed up and headed for home we drove for 5km parallel to the crevasse and still no end was found. We crossed a snow bridge and headed back for the Gate way. The drive home was fast and fun with the ropes removed it was a chance for Giles and me to have some fun power sliding the skidoos across the smooth soft snow surface.
Sadly the last few days of our winter trip were a total white out. We were grateful for the time we had and that we had returned safe.
Less than a day after Niv, Giles and I returned to base we were given the sad news that a Wintering Meteorologist on the South African base had been struck by a large piece of falling ice and died during a Crevasse rescue training exercise. A sombre mood of reflection fell over our wintering team. We sent our condolences and best wishes to the wintering team. In such a small group (eleven members) the loss to the South African base will be profound. Our thoughts go out to Johan’s family and base members.
For Giles and I the return to work felt like the end of winter. The next few weeks will see a frenzy of activity on base. The 1st plane with incoming summer staff is due on the 29th of October.
Hope all is well with everyone,
Love to all,

John xx

Adventures on the ice: Part 1
17th September to the 3rd October
This last month has seen winter trips continue, days have grown in length to the point where now we have less than an hour of darkness and has seen the base activity increase and intensify as we move towards the arrival of the 1st plane and the beginning of the much anticipated summer build season. This should see the next stage off the Halley Six build completed. The currently tented modules will be clad with their fibreglass shells and “Pokémon” the blue module will have its cracked cladding replaced. A large Russian cargo ship will arrive carrying the cladding and other materials for the build and on its deck will be the huge steel space frame of the Red living module which is the central building of the Halley Six base. It will be the largest object ever moved over the sea ice at Halley.
For now though it is still winter and numbers on base fall to eight as every week Niv and two base members head out from base to spend up to seven days out in the frozen white world of Antarctica.
As well as a chance to explore and adventure in a place where few are ever lucky enough to see it is good for everyone to spend a few nights off base and have a change of sights and sounds, to escape day to day base life and re-charge for the upcoming onslaught of the build season.
This year due to the early start of the summer season winter trips are been taken as earlier than ever before. Attempting travel and adventures in Antarctica in September and October is a bit like trying to play test match cricket in England in April and May, the weather is always going to interfere and some play is bound to be lost. As with everything in base life it’s all about numbers. If the temperatures fall below about -35 skidoos won’t start and can be damaged if driven, winds of above 15knots make travel difficult and dangerous due to blowing snow, wind of over ten knots mean no sea ice travel and seven days is all you get if you lose a few to bad weather that’s life there is no getting them back. However with the chance of a lifetime to head out into the frozen world we were all determined to make the most of every second we could.
Nick and Ags were 1st out. With Ben installed as the Boss for the week out they headed to the Caboose at Windy Bay, a great place to visit the colonies of emperor penguins and play on the ice cliffs that surround the bay. Unfortunately it was not to be. Setting off with conditions on the edge they reached the caboose , as they did the wind speed increased making it unsafe to descend onto the sea ice and reducing visibility and contrast to a level where it was unsafe to travel across the crevasse strewn cliff tops. After a day and a night relaxing in the hut and many crossword puzzles and games of connect four later and a very bad forecast for the next five days they got a short window of good weather and used it to head back to base. For the rest of the week it was movies, endless episodes of Family Guy and Simpsons for Nick and Ags.
Typically the day after their trip ended the weather cleared and with everyone back to work Ags took the opportunity to send a party of Five out drum raising to Windy Bay, a day of work which gave the five a chance to head out to the coast for a quick Penguin visit before a day of work digging out and lifting barrels on the 20km drive home. Niv, Ags, Giles, Susanna and Robbie had an amazing day and brought back the 1st close up pictures of the year of the Males and their eggs huddled together on the frozen sea. They returned exhausted but full of stories fuelling the rest of us with energy ready for our own winter trips.
The next day Shifty, Ags and I took advantage of another clear day to raise the sledges used for relief of the ships back up to the snow surface as the recent blows have left only the towing arms showing above the snow surface. With Shifty the maestro of the dozer and Ags and I armed with shovels, D- Shackles and the cable for the winch we raised the 30 buried sledges in just under 5 hours. With the temperature just below -30 deg it was cold hard work but great to see the perfect row of sledges once again on the snow surface and ready for work.
Next out were Ben and Karen. Heading out in picture perfect weather they enjoyed five clear days out in the field exploring crevasses visiting wildlife and enjoying the freedom of a few days off base with Niv as there guide before returning through base with the intention of heading out to the Rumples for the end of their trip. As they arrived back on base the weather closed in making further travel the next morning impossible and a continuation of bad weather over the next two days ended their winter adventure early.
With the safe returns of both sledge Foxtrot and sledge Golf it was soon the turn of the aptly named sledge Hotel (Giles and I) to head out for our seven day expedition. Rumours have abounded that our trip would be nothing but a week of fine living, eating and drinking in the finest outdoor settings the world has to offer combined with a little heroic adventure so Giles and I packed in that vein always keen to live up to our billing.
However as seems to be a theme of this blog the weather delayed the start of our trip, with winds of 20knots plus and zero contrast travel was not an option so the day was spent on tender hooks waiting for an opportunity to head out for what we hoped would be our 1st camp at the Penguin colony. It was not to be, hours passed with our ever optimistic catchphrase of “Give it twenty minutes and it’ll clear up” becoming ever more in vain. We used the day to finish lots of little craft projects we had on the go and with the weather for the next day looking decidedly better an early night was agreed and we would re-convene at 6am in the dining room ready to strike out the next morning.
As the new day dawned on the Brunt ice shelf the air was quickly filled with the sound of three Skidoo’s engines bursting into life and three keen men heading out on a 20km skidoo trip to the cliffs above the Penguin colonies. An enthusiastic early start had been rewarded with good weather and good ice, preparation the evening before had given us a “quick” (nothing is quick in the traditional sense in Antarctica) getaway and we were keen to make up for lost time. As soon as we turned off the engines of the snow mobiles’ we could hear them, hundreds and thousands of penguins calling and chirping, the sound carrying across the still frozen air. After an impressively efficient establishment of camp we roped up and tracked across the shelf ice to the cliff tops, placed snow steaks and descended down to the sea ice below. From there we trekked around the headlands and encountered what was to be the first of four large penguin colonies. Standing still a hundred meters from them the sound and sites were magnificent and something I will never forget. A never ending chorus of calls and replies from the adults and the distinct calls of young chicks. They had hatched and were calling out hungry and waiting to be fed. As we stood still and silent a few single males walked and slid towards us approaching as we might if an alien landed. Showing no fear and intrigue the came to within a few feet, called to us, then turned and slid away. As we slowly approached close we gained our first glimpse of the chicks peering out from their fathers legs. Keeping our distance as not to disturb the Males still caring for eggs we spent time taking pictures and just watching them go about their daily life in this harshest of environments.
We pushed on, wanting to explore this ever changing coastline, in summer the sea ice blows out leaving the cliff edges flush to the sea. We rounded the first headland and were met by another larger colony of emperor penguins with chicks a few weeks older and larger. They were beginning to gather together in small groups and run together around the ice. They ran within a couple of feet of us then circled us and ran back to the huddle. As the cloud cover parted above us and the midday sun shone down on the colony the adults feathers shined with their oil that keeps them dry while hunting underwater giving the effect of metallic scales on their backs.
As we headed further along the coast we encountered two more colonies and further out on the sea ice the effects of the recent blows became apparent. The body’s of chicks lost in the storms and frozen solid littered the ice, intermingled with several abandoned or damaged eggs, life and death in the Antarctic just a few metres apart.
The further along the coast we travelled the size and numbers of the pressure ridges on the sea ice increased. Soon we were bouldering and scrambling over them ever aware of the danger tide cracks in the ice. We stopped for lunch on top of a pressure ridge and became aware of a mist floating over the sea ice a couple of kilometres out. From our vantage point we could see a slow and steady stream of penguins heading out towards the mist. This was a sure sign of an open water lead in the sea ice. We decided to try and find. We scramble and clambered until we found a line of clear ice heading out to the open water. Probing as we went, we gingerly crossed the last five hundred meters of sea ice as we began to clearly see the open water with grease ice “Smoking” on the water’s surface. Niv carefully probed the ice at the water’s edge and with an approving nod Giles and I stepped out onto the two day ice that was over 8 inches thick but still clear. Safe to stand on but it keeps your eyes and ears sharp for cracks and movement. We couldn’t get too close to the edge but we could see penguins returning from the edge glistening wet in the sunlight.
After a few moments reflection we turned and trekked back to the ice cliffs and walked the several kilometres back to where we had descended and climbed our way back to camp. After an hour of eating drinking and warming we made our radio call and decided to head back the short distance to the cliff edge and abseil back onto the sea ice to watch the sun set behind the headland and watch the penguins huddle for the night. As the sky fell orange and purple the birds gathered together and as we left them for the night the calls of the Emperors drifted into the night.
Sleeping bags were calling our names and soon we would be out again squeezing every second of our time off base to get the most out of it.
Part 2 to follow soon.
Hope all is well with everyone,
Love to all,
John xx

Big boy’s toys
Vehicles special
September 2009
So every blog I talk about the beauty and the brutality of Antarctica. I talk about life on base, adventures to remote places and laughs we have on the way. Today I am going to talk about what makes a lot of this possible and what keeps Halley a viable Antarctic base: The Vehicles.
Firstly I have to thank Nick (Curley) for his help in compiling this blog entry. Nick, our mechanic along with our operator Shifty keep the vehicles running in perfect order and use them to keep the base running.
The vehicles we have on base fall into several categories. Skidoos, used for personnel travel around base and deep field trips. Snow Cats, used for personnel transport, sea ice work and light goods transport around base, Prime movers (John Deere’s and CAT Challengers) used for heavy transport of items during relief from the coast to base and for moving of the Garage and Drewery. CAT Bulldozers, they are the most used vehicles on base. Dozing snow for melt tank, snow management around the site, dozing ramps at the coast for relief, moving containers and sledges and pulling everything else out whenever it gets stuck. Next we have machines that are used especially for the building of Halley 6, Lifting platforms, Mantis Cranes, JCB loaders and Kamatsu diggers.
I have posted pictures of each machine on my blog site.
So let’s get underway with the fun stuff. Skidoos, Snow mobiles whatever you want to call them they are what we use every day to get around the ice and they are great fun. We use bombardier Alpine one and twos and Tundra’s as our base skidoos. 500cc engines in a few hundred kilograms of skidoo. They pull Happy sledges full of people around base and box sledges full of equipment. While these skidoos are getting a little old now they are still quick. The fun skidoos though are the Scandic skidoos. These are used by the Doctor for fast response and by anyone travelling deep field. They have 550cc engines and will do 0-60mph in about 3 seconds. (If you could hand on!) They are bigger more sophisticated machines that are more comfortable on long drives and more reliable deep field. And of course fantastic fun to drive. Want one for the winter? They are about £10,000 new.
The big power house machines on base are the CAT Challengers and John Deere Tractors used to drag cargo from the ship at the coast to the base 20km away during relief. Pumping out over 325 horsepower and 2000 pounds/foot of torque these CAT leviathans drag up to 100 tonnes of cargo to base on up to six sledges at once from coast to station. The John Deere tractors have slightly less power but have the advantage of loading arms on the front to easily distribute cargo and lift drums around base. Easy to drive? Yeah, even a chef can drive them! At around 1mpg and a cost of £250k to buy each for the CATS you wouldn’t want one as your next company car!
Tucker Snow cats are the stock vehicles of Halley. BAS have been using them for over 20 years to transport goods and personnel over the Brunt ice shelf. Hand built in the USA and used in frozen expanses at both ends of the earth the design is tried and tested. Four tracks giving a ground pressure less than that if a man on skis coupled with 7litre Detroit engines and 198 horsepower they work well at Halley. All winterers are trained to drive these big orange machines and we drive them with great care. While powerful and easy to drive they are fragile and all too easy to break and no one wants to return a broken machine to the garage and cause Nick work and put a vital machine out of action. The other thing to remember is that they cost £105k each so that’s about the same as a new Ferrari only far more useful here.
The BAS vehicle service is a world leader in innovations in vehicles to use in frozen conditions. The Genie lifting platforms, JCB loader and Honda quad bikes were all a first when fitted with tracks by BAS and used on the ice. Fitting out the fleet with pre heaters, radiator covers, exhaust covers and Marine GPS units is all done in house and before any vehicle heads south it is prepared and maintained in the BAS garage in Cambridge by the incoming mechanics. (The garage is a replica of the one at Halley to make familiarisation with the garage on base easy or the mechs.
Mantis cranes, diggers, lifters and Genie lifts are all here for the Halley six build and will leave Halley once the build is complete. (The Challengers will also leave at this time.) The mantis crane will this year be joined by a twin brother to lift the huge sections of the red Halley 6 living module into place.
Last but not least come the CAT Bulldozers used around base for snow management, mound building, moving, dragging, clearing, lifting and raising. They are the vehicle you see most around base during winter. While all rubber tracked vehicles stop at -30 deg the dozers keep on going down to -40. They are absolutely essential to keep the base running, dozing snow, moving and pumping fuel, keeping buildings clear of snow and raising containers, sledges and barrels as the snow accumulates. This has kept Shifty busy all winter. Come summer however the four dozers will team up to move the garage, the Drewery building and then the Halley 6 modules.
Thanks again to Nick and Shifty for the information for this blog.
Hope all is well with everyone,
Love to all,
John x

This is not your life....
18th August to the 17th of September 2009
Winter turns to spring on the brunt ice shelf. The days turn ever brighter for us now as the nights draw in at home. So far spring similar to the UK has given us storms, blizzards, winds in excess of 60 knots and in total contrast days of clear blue skies without a breath of wind in the air. Over the past four weeks temperatures have varied between a bone chilling -49.9 deg and a positively summery -12.2deg. It may seem strange to you at home but at Halley -12 is a summers day and after the months of severe cold and darkness it was great to be able to put the picnic benches back out by the signpost and enjoy an a drink sat in the sun. The warmth from the sun can just be felt on your skin as the wind disappears which is a great feeling but means that now it’s time once again for the factor 50 sun block and ski sun glasses. (Mine are a particularly fetching white and silver design!)
With the sun back the Ozone hole is at its largest over Antarctica and the UV rays can cause sunburn in a matter of minutes. Similarly a few minutes outside without eye protection can cause snow blindness which as well as being hugely painful and can do lasting damage to sight. So its sun block and glasses all round. (Panda eyes are this year’s must have look at Halley!)
This past month has seen me complete what will hopefully be my last set of nights. A night watch person is continually on duty on station to ensure meteorological records are continued, to ensure the safety of the station and to perform a variety of cleaning tasks around base. As anyone who works nights will tell you the difficulty of nights is the 1st night shift and then the return to days afterwards. Every Friday you can see a member of the team looking bleary eyed after finishing there last night shift and trying to get back into days mode. In the summer we will have base assistants to cover night shifts so everyone on nights now looks forward to this being there last set before we leave. It’s not all bad though a set of nights is the perfect opportunity to catch up on movies and TV series.
Every department is now working towards the upcoming build season. Robbie the electrician and I removed all the electrical equipment form the Drewery summer accommodation, de-frosted and tested it. It’s a very strange feeling walking through the empty deep frozen accommodation building and removing equipment from a dark frosted up kitchen. As you breathe the moisture in every breath freezes and falls like a dusting of snow to the flaw sparkling in the light of your head torch. In a few weeks this building will be coaxed into life and prepared for the summer MFL (Morrison’s) team to live in and will be fitted with extra accommodation annexes for the increased base population of the build season. At the height of the summer we will have 131 people on base all eating 5 meals a day.
Taking advantage of the sunny weather Giles, Dr. Gaynor and I took the opportunity to take a stroll and survey the estate. The recent storms have deposited large amounts of snow on the base and the coming weeks will see us raising drum lines, sledges, flags and containers back onto the snow surface. While the accumulation of snow here is only about two metres a year overall the effects of wind tails and wind scoops is massive. Any object however large or small creates ever increasing wind tails behind it and scoops in front of it. This burry’s anything left on the snow surface and is the reason the platforms are built as they are. To allow the wind and snow to pass beneath them with minimal disturbance and creating the least amount of accumulation. However the closer the buildings get to the ground as the years pass the more the wind tails build. The Laws wind tail is known as Halley hill and the fear is that with a delayed build season the Laws Platform may end up on the snow surface and require a huge amount of work to prevent it being buried as its working life comes to an end and it is de-commissioned and removed from Antarctica. That’s one for the building experts to ponder.
September saw the birthday of our winter base commander Ags. In true style she declared the night to be on a Tropical theme complete with flowery shirts, surf shorts, Sunglasses and Cocktails. After a dinner of Ags’ choosing we settled down for a few drinks. It was then that weeks of scheming, plotting, preparation and a few last minute panics came together as I was able to bring out the big Orange book and say: “Aggy Bear this is NOT your life”. What followed much to Ags’ surprise was an hour long story of half truths and damned right lies about the pre BAS life of our WBC, followed by stories, photo’s, cards, video messages and phone messages from the many people who know, admire and have had the pleasure to spend time in Antarctica with her. We managed to get messages from both the JCR and Shackleton ships, Rothera, New Zealand and from many other places around the world. She was delighted. As various members of the base presented items, videos and told stories sent in Ags giggled, laughed, blushed and grinned through every one. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures from Ags’ early life on my blog page.
Susanna presented Ags with another masterpiece in cake form. A chocolate so large and so rich it left the base unable to move after a slice each. Don’t worry Susanna only one more to go.
The last few days have seen the 1st winter trippers head out and return. Curley, Ags and Niv headed out to Windy bay in beautiful sunshine with the aim of spending a couple of nights in the Hut there and enjoying the sea ice however with poor visibility, bad contrast and the threat of a large blow heading there way the simply camped for the night and headed back for home the next morning. An hour after they arrived back the base was hit by a total whiteout that has so far blown for three days and is expected not to let up until next week. If you want to imagine what a white out feels like just imagine yourself inside a ping pong ball. So for Ags and Curley I is a winter trip at the Hotel Halley, not quite what they had intended but a break none the less. Let’s hope for more luck for Ben and Karen next week and Giles and I the week after.
I leave you now from a windblown frozen continent.
I hope everyone at home is well,
Love to all,
John xx

A busy time on the ice
7th to 18th August 2009
With temperatures for the last 7 days never rising above -40 degrees the Antarctic winter continues at Halley. No matter how cold the temperature outside the energy and enthusiasm of the base is unrelenting. With the pressures and stresses of a build season looming around the corner we are determined to enjoy the last eleven weeks of our winter to the maximum.
So with that in mind let the blog update begin.
Saturday nights on Station are when I try to produce food that differs from the ordinary. Perhaps a themed menu, a birthday special request or just a special treat. When I am on night duty it is Saturday night that no one wants to cook. So when our Polish/ Kiwi Base Commander Ags decided that she would like to cook a Polish dinner for us I was delighted to hand her the kitchen for the evening. Dressed in traditional Polish dress (well as creatively as we could) Ags dished up a feast of traditional dishes. With me as a willing comis chef she produced a spectacular range of soups, stews, breaded meats, Rye bread, pickled cabbages, pastries and Potato stuffed Pasta. To compliment the occasion Doc set up a very comfortable table for us all in the lounge, dressed in Polish National colours and lit with LED candles. The feast was a huge hit with everyone. As was the Raspberry Vodka made over the previous eight weeks. It was great to hear Ags talk about Poland and her love of the country and her families travels around the world. The very special effort she put into the night was greeted with great enthusiasm by all. Thanks Ags.
Every day to make the water used on base a team of three head out and dig snow down a shaft into the melt tank held within the tunnels under the base. As you would imagine having to dig every drop of water makes us all extremely conscious of water usage. Showers are kept to about 40 seconds of running water, taps are turned off when brushing teeth. Loads of washing are always full and we wait for full loads before washing up. In order to make the task of filling the tank every Monday Shifty bulldozes a cone of snow around the shaft entrance and through the week we dig the snow into the hole and by the end of the week the cone has been levelled and the process begins again. This week was not so simple though. At temperatures of below -40 deg no vehicles can work at Halley. So Monday morning came, the cone of snow was gone, the ground was as hard as rock and the melt tank needed filling. So at lunchtime six of us headed out armed with pick axes, spades and dressed in full ice gear and hacked lumps of ice to fill the tank. I never knew that -45deg could feel so warm! It was the same story on Tuesday and Wednesday. Fortunately today the dozer managed to get out when the temperature climbed for an hour as the wind blew. The temperature has now fallen again and cold, still air hangs once again over the ice. I wonder how I will feel about using water when I leave Halley. At the moment though everyone on base dreams of long showers, hot baths, swimming pools and hot tubs!
Shortly before the sun rose for the 1st time the Antarctic sky’s glowed green and grey for us one more time. At 3am Niv woke everyone on base with the call of “Aurora”. We all climbed out of bed and were privileged to see a massive, spectacular Aurora in the southern sky. Pulsing, streaking, glowing and glistening, the sky danced all night until 9am the next morning. Some spectacular pictures were taken. Some taken by Karen can be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/karenfowler23/AuroraAustralis#

We have been very lucky to see this phenomenon. We are the only British station southern enough to experience them. Like I said it’s an amazing sight and there were some tired faces at work the next morning. This may well be the last Aurora we see. With the light fast returning the likelihood of another is fading fast. It may be something many of us never see again.
Five days after his raising of the flag Shifty celebrated his 24th birthday. Every birthday has had a theme and this was to be no exception. It was to be a fancy dress night with a twist. The twist being that nothing from the dressing up box could be used. Everything had to be made from things found on base. Throughout the week this caused some conundrums. Occasional bouts of confusion and scratched heads and on Thursday night saw your Antarctic hero dying an old tablecloth green and sat at the table with a pair of scissors, a sewing box, a sewing machine and a face of concentration that sent grown men and women running from the room. 9 hours later, a bloody finger, a few choice words and eight mugs of tea later a set of handmade surgeon’s scrubs lay on the table complete with mask and bandanna. I would like to take this opportunity to thank shifty for this one, as would the 9 other base members who spent the next two days making their costumes.
So at seven thirty on Saturday night I was joined in the bar by: Mr Strong (Shifty), Jesus (Long’un), Cleopatra (Karen), A bumble Bee (Doc), a skidoo (Curley), A terrorist (Wrong’un), Daft Vader (Rob), The Pope (Giles), A cappuccino (Ags) and a very convincing Darlik (Niv).
After a nice dinner, difficult to eat when dressed as a Cup of coffee and a Darlik I’m told! And an extended photo session, Club Nido was opened for the 1st time this year. Club Nido is the main work bay in the garage which had been cleaned up by Curley and Shifty and specially lit by the Wrong’un. It was a fun night dancing and laughing the night away as DJ Curley spun his wheels of steel and we danced away to the Superman song. Happy Birthday Shifty.
It was not all fun and games on the ice these last couple of weeks however. Planning and preparation for the coming summer build season occupies more and more of our time. Winter projects are reaching their deadlines for all departments and scenarios and drills are performed regularly to keep us all on our toes.
Ags decided to surprise us all by getting “Lost and injured” while inspecting the site. When she failed to return at her allotted time and attempts to contact her failed a full search and rescue scenario was launched and ran by Ben and Karen. After an hour out in the cold she was found out of the area she was signed out to. A timely reminder to us all that we must continue to observe all safety protocols as the sun returns and the weather improves. Accidents can happen, visibility can fall to only a few meters within minutes, vehicles can fail and it is imperative we remember to call in at set times, plan travel carefully and sign on and off the platform. The scenario went very well. Let’s just hope we never have to use it for real.
So for now from the bottom of the world I shall say goodbye. I hope everyone at home is enjoying the sunshine.
Love to all,
John xx

I see the light....
11th August 2009
Today was a very happy day.
While heading south past winterers tell stories of how the site of the sun at the end of 105 days of darkness at Halley is a beautiful sight and now I know for myself how right they are. The pagans offered sacrifices to their Gods to ensure the sun returned and today we held celebrations of our own to welcome the sun back to our place on the frozen continent.
At 13.00hrs we assembled on the Laws open platform and awaited the moment where the sun would breach the horizon. At 13.20hrs it happened, the sun rose just above the horizon for six whole minutes. As the youngest on station it was the duty of shifty to raise the new Union Flag above the base where it will remain until the sun sets over the ice for the next wintering team.
In true Shifty style he dressed in full suit and paraded the flag around before climbing on the roof of the bulldozer and posing for the cameras on base with the new flag. He then climbed onto the roof and hoisted the flag up the flagpole and gave us a few words of celebration.
We then popped the cork on the champagne, feasted on frozen Olives and jelly babies and toasted the sun, the winter gone and the rest of our winter together. We drank the Champagne, walked in the sunlight, took pictures of the now falling sunset and moved across to the garage where Curley and shifty hosted the sun up celebrations.
In the evening the celebrations continued with a feast of Fillet steak, Homemade Chips and Roasted Vegetables. Good things saved from the time of fresh vegetables and frozen by me for just such occasions. A rare treat for us and was well received by all. With the Plane bringing us a small selection of fresh food still 13 weeks away these are moments to be savoured.
I hope you all enjoy the photos of the day posted on my blog site at: antarcticjohn@blog.co.uk
Every day now the sun will rise higher and higher in the sky until on approximately the 23rd of October where the sun will rise and not fall for the next 105 days.
Such is life in the Antarctic Circle. I would be nowhere else right now. I still look out of the window each day and think I am lucky to be here where so few will ever tread.
I hope all is well with everyone,
Love to all,
John xx

Welcome to Halley-wood studios
28th July -6th August

And action.........
Welcome everybody to Hally-wood. A place where the line between reality and fiction is blurred, dreams and ambitions can be realised in an instant and fantasies are lived out.
Ok, I guess I had better explain. Every year the large US base at McMurdo (Where Scott and Shackleton set off on their famous adventures.) issues a challenge to all other Antarctic bases to make the best five minute film in 48 hours. There is no set structure or subject but there are some simple rules. No movie may be more than 5 minutes, all movies must be shot by armatures and certain elements must be used that will be given to the bases 48 hours before the films must be submitted to ensure no one can plan in advance. We decided we would enter, Robbie Wrong’un would be our camera man and producer assisted by Ags and the rest of the base would “Act”, write the screen play, do the onset catering, the wrap party and keep out of the way while The wrong’un was editing.
As only Ags had ever made a movie before we decided that a dry run might be a good idea. The idea was simple. We re-make the re-make of Tony Christies hit, Amarillo. We would make it in a Peter Kay style with one person walking round the base and everyone else popping out and joining the walk at various stages around the building then dropping out, culminating in a big finish on the platform. A simple idea that could also be used to give people a light hearted virtual tour of the station. Well to cut a long story short I was nominated to play the Peter Kay roll and lead the walk around the station with Wrong’un walking backwards in front of me filming lead by Giles. Four and a half hours later the film was made. Everyone on base was on film, (Most several times) me all the time. So your Antarctic hero, dressed in best evening wear marches round the platform, through the pit rooms with people in pyjamas, through the surgery with patients and doctors, into the bathrooms with Ags on the Loo and Rob Jumping out of the shower wearing only a Guitar, into the Library where a studious Curly joins me, through the Gym where Long’un does his best Rocky impression, down the corridor where Fireman shifty joins the march, into the bar where curly performs a trick shot and barman Giles spills his Guinness. It goes on for 5 minutes to the big finish on the platform where I almost froze to death.
After many hours of editing the Premier of Amarillo was a raging success giving us all a good laugh and an insight into the difficulties of the Challenges in front of us. (Amarillo will be released onto You-tube as soon as Wrong’un productions releases the final edit.)
Soon enough Friday came with the announcement that the elements to be included would be:
1. Line of dialogue: “Do you want to buy a dog?”
2. Sound effect: A drinks can opening.
3. Prop: A toilet roll.
4. Item of clothing: A comedy headpiece.
So off we went. A brainstorming session gave us an idea. We were going to make a James bond style movie trailer. Our star: Giles Aka 00AP. He would be assisted by Ags as ‘Z’, your hero as ‘Miss Moneypenny’ and Doc as ‘Agent Shamrock’. His mission to attempt to avenge the murder of ’00 Clown’ played by the Wrong’un. The bad guys, played by Curley, Shifty and Karen would do what James Bond baddies do, be evil and loose. Or will they?
Saturday was a great day of filming, the weather was kind, the pace was hectic, Giles was a legend, and Robbie directed with skill and patience. The result is available for all to see. You can download the film via the link below.
http://www.belowzero.org.uk/upload/
We uploaded the other 15 bases movies and have now cast our votes for Best movie, Best use of compulsory elements, Best screenplay and Best Cinematography. The rest of the movies can be seen at:
http://cid-f32c1f3f4fb6d9e5.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Antarctic%20Movies/2009%20Winter%20International%20Film%20Festival%20Antarctica
When the results come in I’ll let you know. There are some great films made in the 48 hours and some excellent movies made for the open category. It is great to see the other bases and the people that winter there. It’s nice to know they are as mad as we are.
So for now from Halley-wood studios its goodnight from me. Enjoy the show!

Love to all,
John
xx

The coldest month.
5th to 28th July
July is the coldest month here at Halley. With average temperatures of below -28 deg and days on end where the needle dips below -40. With less than two weeks to go until the sun returns light is beginning to return to the base. Rime frost forms on surfaces and diamond dust sparkles in the air. Snow is blown across the ice shelf and deposits itself in wind tails around the base and Shifty is busy in his Dozer keeping parts of the base above ground level.
Every month Ben takes a Dozer and a sledge with two transit tanks on board to the bulk fuel dumps on the perimeter of the base and fills them from the bulk tanks. He then takes this fuel (Avtur, Aviation fuel with a freezing point of -70deg) and pumps it down into the flubber tanks 35m below ground that keep the generators on base running 24 hours a day. This involves two men climbing down the tunnel shaft and fixing the pipes onto the flubber and one man on the surface pumping the fuel down using the dozer and changing the pipes from one tank to the other. With Ben and Robbie as the men in the tunnels several of us take turns in being the man on the surface. This month it was my turn again. We pumped about 10,000 litres of fuel into the flubbers. Every day the base uses roughly 200 Litres of fuel to provide electricity and heat.
After the 4th of July party the week before we decided that the following Saturday would be a nice dinner followed by an evening of cards. We play a game called Clag taught to us by the RAF mast riggers on the boat on the way south. It has many names but is essentially a game of Trumps but with a betting element. Typically a game takes about two hours but taking into account drinks breaks, Cig breaks, bathroom breaks and arguments about the rules our Saturday evening game rolled on for almost seven hours. After the smoke cleared and the final hand was played the winner for the 1st time since we left South Africa was none other than your Antarctic Chef. Wahooooooo!
Thursday saw me join Niv, Rob and Ben for a pleasant hour or two under the main Laws platform. Every four weeks technical services take readings of the height of each of the 20 legs of the platform to determine its movement. The platform is constantly being lifted, pulled and twisted by the force of the ice below. Each leg moves at a different rate. The measurements are taken, double checked and then sent back to Cambridge and our buildings department for analysis. Each leg has a jacking point and can be moved independently to keep the base level. The same jacks can be used by steel fixers in summer to lift the whole building above the snow level. In the dark it’s a cold job requiring powerful lights, measuring poles and theodolites. Keeps the pool table level though.
This month the base celebrated a special day. This is a British Ice Station we live and work on, we have a picture of The Queen at the head of the dining room. Queen Elizabeth has two birthdays a year. Her actual birthday and her official birthday. This is because her actual birthday falls in the colder months of the year and as summer weather is more conducive to outdoor celebrations her official birthday is then. Our met babe Giles is the same. His actual birthday fell in the Antarctic summer when the amount of people on base is high and is un-conducive to high quality celebrations. So what to do? Well simple, Giles this year had his “Antarctic” birthday in July.
Birthdays at Halley are nights of good food and celebration. I cook the menu of their choice and they choose the theme of the evening. Giles decided on a race night for his birthday and asked us to all dress for the owner’s enclosure. For those of you that don’t know Giles is a foodie. He picked a very nice menu. Black pudding and Chorizo stack with melted Brie, Fillets of Lamb with Roasted vegetables and Demi Glace sauce followed by Lemon Tart with Raspberry sorbet. Washed down with the best wine we had. A menu that certainly hit the spot with everyone on base. We all waddled into the lounge in our finery ready to back our Nags to the post. Giles had acquired a tape of a day of racing, the odds at the off and we’re all given an envelope of Poker chips to bet with at dinner. G.I. Les the bookmaker made a killing as we showed just how bad we are at backing horses, all of us except the Long’un. He won out on the night and was presented with a T-shirt as his prize. Susanna presented Giles with a beautiful birthday cake. It was a rich fruitcake I had made a month earlier and had soaked in Whiskey. She coated it in Marzipan and Icing. Then decorated it with a Liver Bird. He was very touched, although the huge amount of candles needed almost set off the fire alarms. The owners, punters and birthday bookmaker then relaxed in the bar for the rest of the night. Happy birthday Giles!
These last few days has seen me complete another set of night shifts, a nice time to catch up with movies, paperwork and have a little time to yourself. The daylight returns a little more every day now. I have to close the blinds to sleep during the day, how weird! Roll on the sun!
Hope all is well with everyone,
Love to all,
John
xx

Elvis isn’t dead
4th – 5th July

Following the excitement of midwinter week the weekend of the 4th of July should have been a quiet calm time where the wintering team could take time to reflect on the excitement of the week that had passed and take stock. Perhaps prepare ourselves for the weeks to come before the arrival of the ship. It’s just no-one told us that!
The 4th of July, American independence day. A celebration of all things American, red white and blue, star spangled banners and according to Giles a celebration of getting rid of another colony. We decided it was a great excuse if ever one was needed for some silly costumes, fun fair games and attractions and the finest food from the good old U. S of A.
Costumes were made, games were constructed and at 7.30pm I wandered into the bar to see what can only be described as a star studded line up. Sat in the bar in a remote ice station were: Wilma Flintstone, Madonna, John Rambo, Crusty the Clown, Professor Frink, Abraham Lincoln, The Statue of Liberty, Cornel Saunders and Jo Montana.
Dinner was served in John E Boys diner and was packed full of fairground fair. Nacho’s, homemade burgers and fries, Do-nuts, Toffee apples and Mississippi Mud pie were served in huge quantities. Then it happened: there was a moment of silence, the twang of a steel guitar, a burst of song and Elvis entered the building! The Halley fun fair was then declared open. Rambo (Rob) opened the night with his version of splat the Rat. (No furry animals were harmed in the making of this blog!) Shifty showed that youth and reaction time go together by splatting the rat across the lounge. It was then onto Wilma Flintstone’s (Ags) lucky bran tub, fabulous prizes for all ages. Abe Lincoln (Ben) then enticed us to gamble away our hard earned fortunes on his darts challenge, under 21 with three darts and win a prize. Professor Fli (Giles) showed us that ex landlords never lose by winning twice while for the rest of us the house won every time. Then came the turn of Jo Montana (Niv) to unveil his creation. We were told to put on outdoor clothing, climbing harnesses and helmets and head out under the platform. Niv had rigged up a Zip wire, tight rope, sledge races and a rope swing for our entertainment. We were like eleven big kids in a play park. It was great fun, and was all framed by a beautiful moon lit night with the milky way in full view. After the customary snow ball fight and snow angels we headed in for toffee apples and a beer. Soon however it was back to the action for Shifty's bungee run. The name of the game.... to place your tuna can with your picture on it as far down the main corridor as possible while attached to a length of bungee cord. The celebrities took their turns, running, stopping and being flung back down the corridor on our bottoms. Great fun with Abraham Lincoln winning the game.
Bruised and battered we returned to the bar. Rambo showed off his card tricks, The Cornel refused to share his secret recipe, Elvis ate another burger, Wilma chatted with Liberty and Madge, another surreal evening on the ice drifted into the everlasting night.
Love to all,

John
xx