- Which station did you work at?
Technically I worked at a remote field camp on the west Antarctic ice sheet that doesn't exist anymore, and didn't exist before we landed there. But I also spent a fair bit of time (months) in McMurdo. And visited Scott Base a lot, because they had the best parties.
- Did you work for the Gov or a private company?
I'm a scientist. I went as a university employee, but the project was ultimately funded by NSF. Lots of people work as support staff with no scientific background, though.
- What are the living conditions?
At camp, living quarters were three-person dome tents, but each person got one to themselves. We also had two Jamesways set up, big army surplus tent/buiding things built with fabric walls over arches over wooden floors. One for cooking/dining and the other for basecamp science support.
McMurdo is kind of a weird cross between a mining town and a military base. There are large buildings that sort of resemble the crappiest Motel 6 you can image, if the government built them. Plus communal areas like dining halls and a couple of bars, and lots of specialized buildings for the various support groups that need to be there. Fuelies, mechanics, S&R, flight ops, hardware/maintenance, etc. They each get their own building.
- How's the internet down there?
At field camps, usually nonexistent. We had satellite uplink for about 40 minutes per day while one bird was above the horizon. Otherwise nada.
At McMurdo, it's entirely adequate for comms but don't count on netflix or ebay sniping.
- Did you get special/hardship compensation for living there? (probably relates to public/private work)
I got paid a scientist's wage, but nothing special. On the bright side, you can't exactly jog down to the mall to blow your paycheck so it's all there waiting for you when you get back.
- What 'kinds' of people work there? What kind of personalities? What's the vibe?
Oh man, the number of jokes about this question continues to grow. Know any good jokes about the types of people who move to Alaska? Similar. Jokes about people who sell everything and go full time RVing? Similar.
They say you go the first time for the adventure, the second time for the paycheck, and the next 20 times because you no longer fit in anywhere else.
Aside from the scientists and the senior management, McMurdo is a young person's town. Lots of active 20 somethings with trade skills, many of whom don't even maintain a permanent residence in the States. They'll work four or five months a year on the ice, then travel the rest of the year in places like Bali, Fiji, or Thailand where the living is cheap. Permanent vagabonds.
With that many young folks thrown together in isolation, there's a lot of energy. A lot of sex. Some drugs. The bar scene was active. There was a cray-cray music festival for solstice. It definitely has that small town feel to it, though, like if you don't know the right people then you don't get invited to anything cool. Everyone knows everyone else. Major community events are things like the Coasties showing up on one of their icebreakers (fresh meat!) or a cargo resupply arrival.
- What companies do they work for?
NSF contracts out all of the logistics, or at least they did when I was working there. Back then it was called Raytheon Polar Services, but I think the contract went Lockheed at the last contract call. This company, whoever it is that year, employees basically everyone who's not military (mostly National Guard) or a scientist.
- Differences between the 'seasons' of working there?
I only worked the Antarctic summer seasons, which was roughly November to February, plus or minus a few weeks. The people who winter over are a whole different crew. They look at the summer staff in the same way that the summer staff looks at folks back home in front of their televisions. Fucking amateurs.
Winters are rough. It's always dark. You can't stay outside very long. I hear the people who do well there in the winter are folks who like to spend a lot of time alone, or can thrive in an environment where everyone is boinking everyone else.
- Difficulty of being hired?
My job interview was five minutes and three questions, asked of my by a professor at my University. But he already knew me and my work, and I think in that case the fact that I had heard about his research and actively sought him out to find out how I could get there answered many of the questions he might have otherwise asked.
I've heard that the support jobs are much harder to get, just because the pool of applicants is so much bigger. I got hired because there weren't a lot of strapping young men with the right science background just hanging around asking to go to Antarctica. For 19 year old kids with no skills, who want to get a job as a GA (general assistant aka underpaid gopher) the list of applicants is long, for very few spots. Getting on as an electrician or carpenter is a bit easier, if you're good. I don't know how the National Guard determines who goes.
Science stuff I'd rather not talk about, lest I totally blow my cover.
- Describe the relationship and level of interaction between the researchers and the support personnel.
That really depends on where you are. At the field camps, it's VERY close. There are only a handful of you out there together, with nothing to do, so you spend a lot of time with all of them. A small field camp might have a few scientists, a GM and a cook. A big one might also have an assistant cook and two mechanics.
At McMurdo things are normally a little more segregated. The support staff are based there all season and a lot of the scientists are effectively transients, coming through at the beginning and end of the season. Even the scientists who stay in McMurdo all season have their own building, so they wouldn't normally mingle with the support staff without seeking them out, which is easy to do.
Scientists were called Beakers (like the muppet), sometimes affectionately and sometimes derisively. The support staff all have names based on their jobs, and they mostly spend their time with other people who have the same job.
But crossing those boundaries was pretty easy, especially for romantic or sexual reasons. It's a small pool, but it's a pool full of very interesting people who are all very far from home, if they even have one.
- If you are familiar with S&R, please describe the personnel involved and missions you know of
Ugh. When I was there the S&R program had a bad rap for being very cliquish, like the lady in charge only hired people she knew personally, or wanted to know personally/romantically. They were technically fine, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Plus they all looked alike.
There have been a number of well-documented rescue missions in Antarctica, all of which you can read about on the web. They're a lot more rare now than they were back in the 70s and 80s, as the rules are more strict and the equipment is better.
These days, most of the S&R missions are like some scientist in the dry valleys has a medical or equipment problem, he radios for help, and they send two guys with med training on a helo to check him out on the flight back. There's not much crevasse rescue work anymore. The primary duty of the S&R folks seems to be to train the scientists who will be going out on their own, and then administering the logistical side of their oversight.
- Were you familiar with the resupply system? Can you describe it?
Cargo ships at least once per year, after the icebreakers come. Everything else was transported by National Guard aircraft, mostly through Christchurch. They mostly flew C-130 Hercules, (technically LC-130s, with the skis you strap onto the wheels while in flight) but also the occasional Starlifter or other big flying truck. The used Twin Otters and helos to shuttle to and from the Dry Valleys or other relatively close camps.
Most of the equipment is there, and stays there. They tend to send replacement parts and tools, rather than replacement equipment, just because it's expensive to move something like a tractor down there. Virtually everything in McMurdo has been rewelded or otherwise patched numerous times.
The consummables are mostly dry and canned goods. Keeping stuff frozen is easy, so meat isn't a problem. Fresh vegetables are at a premium because they have to be flown in since they don't last long enough to make the trip by boat. There was a small greenhouse, but it didn't grow anywhere near enough to feed the base so it was mostly a hobby project and nice place to hang out and read a book.
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