Skiing in Antarctica

This evening I checked out skis from the Gear Issue office in McMurdo.  They have all sorts of skiing equipment, winter gear, costumes, board games, etc...  Along with the skis, I got poles and boots.  I looked for a boot that'd fit my feet but I could not find any!  My friend, Colin, finally looked in the last nook and found one that'd fit me.  It was an old, almost-decrepit pair, the kind with the three prongs and the metal clamp that holds onto the boot.  The sole was worn out, the insole was crusted and torn, and they were a bit dirty, but they were cross country ski boots!  Classy!

So, at 8pm local time Colin and I checked out of McMurdo base by personally visiting the Firehouse and picking up a radio in case of emergency.  We told them our estimated time of return was 11pm.  We had a ways to hike before we could ski on snow.  Up the hill we went, up towards where the trailhead for our path lay.  Once we got to the trailhead, we still had to hike through dirt and ice.  The service road was in poor condition, and the recent warm weather had been melting the snow in the day, which resulted in almost the entire road being covered in some kind of ice.  Another ways and we dared try ski.  And ski we did, but not easily.  There was no fresh powder, just intermittent packed snow.

Castle Rock can be seen in the distance.

Our destination was to visit the base of Castle Rock, a big rock formation about 4 miles from McMurdo that just out above the snow-covered surroundings like, well, a castle.  We ended up not quite making it and had to turn around before we got there.  About 10:30pm we turned around and notified the Firehouse that we'd be back by 11:30pm.  Most of the return would be downhill, which actually proved slightly dangerous due to the partially ice-covered nature of the trail.  It's quite easy to get going so fast that you cannot stop, and then we all know what comes next!  ;-)

Anyways, to make a long-story even shorter (or longer, since I am typing more, hence making the story longer) we ended up having to call the Firehouse over the radio a second time to notify them of our newest estimated time of return to be midnight.  We made it back just before midnight and returned the radio.

More so than usual, this next photo does not do justice to the actual beauty and majesty you'd have seen if you'd have been there with me.  Even though this photo was taken shortly before midnight, the sun was lighting up the mountains on the other side of the McMurdo Sound, some 30-40 miles away.  The cloud cover, obscuring the tops of some of the mountains, was letting select rays of light dance upon the snow and ice capped peaks.  This photo is of Mount Discovery, which is straight southwest of McMurdo Station.  And, if I may suggest, take a moment of silence along with this photo, for on this ski trip I was impressed by how silent the world is.  What a rare treat in this busy and machine saturated world.

Lastly, here's a view of McMurdo itself, looking down from just up the hill a ways.  If you look closely, you may be able to see my dorm and the galley I eat breakfast and dinner in and the Coffee House cafe.  If you look even closer, you might be able to make out the newly-hung Christmas decorations adorning lampposts and buildings.  Needless to say, Christmas is less than a week away for McMurdo and the rest of the world.

After our journey, I showered and trekked back over to the galley at 12:30 for "MidRats", or Midnight Rations, the lunch meal for those who work night shifts.  It's open from midnight to 1am, but only 12:30-1am for the general public.  I ate a full meal to satisfy my dietary desires and match my caloric output of the previous few hours.  Then off to bed to enjoy a good nights rest.  What an adventure!

Brett
2009-12-19 0239 McMurdo, Antarctica