Meet an Intrepid Texan Who Spends Winters at the South Pole
November 7, 2020 2:50 AM   Subscribe

 
Well that's answers the recent question of who's wearing fur in 2020!

Such an interesting place. One thing I never realized is how hard it is to get there, even today. An acquaintance goes to Amundsen regularly and is wintering there this year. She regularly 'boomerangs' in her attempts to get there, meaning the plane gets partway there but has to turn back due to unpredictable/unsafe weather conditions. So it can take several weeks to get to the research station, even if you start at Christchurch.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:34 AM on November 7, 2020 [5 favorites]


On Amtrak's Empire Builder service they still do that thing where you're assigned a table with a couple of strangers for dinner. One evening, passing through North Dakota, we shared a table with a guy who'd overwintered in Antarctica the last four winters, then come back to his home in northern Montana to spend the winter there. I guess he just liked it cold and dark all the time.
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 6:20 PM on November 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


It’s interesting that they can’t vote in some cases, due to lack of mail service. There’s no mail from space either but I read that the astronaut at the space station still got to vote....
posted by Tandem Affinity at 7:41 PM on November 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


Texas law has special provision for voting from low earth orbit. Not so much for Antarctica.

When I was younger, I thought it would be fun to overwinter there, but lacking any qualification whatsoever figured it would be impossible and it would make my SO sad, anyway. These days, I'd be DQed on health grounds anyway. Since there is no way to get medical attention in an emergency, NSF's health qualifications for overwintering staff are more strict than the FAA has for airline pilots.
posted by wierdo at 5:00 AM on November 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


I haven't heard the whole story, but my wife's ex overwintered one year. If he had any qualifications, except for the overconfidence of a mediocre man, I'm unaware of them. And apparently he right cocked up whatever he was supposed to do. So maybe you and I are out, weirdo, but the next generation might still have hope.
posted by wotsac at 7:03 AM on November 8, 2020


I'm pretty sure I offer tech support to people there!

I definitely have worked on someone's computer that was in Antarctica. I made damn sure all his photos were backed up before I had to wipe the machine.

His granddaughter and my daughter are in the same Girl Scouts troop.

(I only bring this all up because all involved are in Texas.)
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 3:17 PM on November 8, 2020 [2 favorites]


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