Rothera
After a busy summer season at Halley, our travel home was delayed due to sea ice around the Brunt and Stancomb Wills – which prevented the RRS Ernest Shackleton from making it in for it’s second call. After investigating the …
Relief
The past few days has been the busiest part of Halley’s summer, with Ernest Shackleton arriving – after a few days delayed by sea ice – for the annual relief of the station. This involves removing all of the cargo …
Summer
With our third aircraft of the season approaching the station as I write this, summer at Halley is really starting to get going – along with much improved weather and, as of this week, 24 hour sun. Some of the …
Winter Trip 2.0
This past week was my second winter trip, again with Al and Silver, this time six days (five nights) long. Unfortunately bad weather delayed our departure three days, but weather is just ‘luck of the draw’ when it comes to …
Sunrise!
Sunrise might seem like a rather normal affair back in the UK, but for the thirteen of us at Halley it was a much anticipated event as we have not seen the sun for over 100 days (sunset was 1st …
Midwinter
Midwinters day (21st June) is a big event in Antarctica, as it is the point at which the sun starts to return (although won’t rise for us until August). It has been celebrated ever since the earliest days of explorers …
Winter begins
It’s been a while since I last write a post, as life at Halley has moved on to the Winter routine which is of a much slower pace than during the summer. On the 1st May we had the flag …
Emergency Abseil Training
As with all places of work, Halley VI features an array of emergency exits and equipment. One of the most fun escape routes we practised with today – the emergency abseil system, for escaping from upper levels in case of …
Winter Trip
Last week was my first winter trip, with Al and ‘Silver’ (John M.). This trip was five days (four nights) long and we stayed at a place called Aladdin’s, named after a cave that had been located there. The weather …
Just another day in the office
Last week we spent two days doing our field training. This involves leaving the station for a night and learning how to live in tents in Antarctica. This training is required for all winterer’s, both for supporting field parties in …