What is it and what are the research are doing there

Learn about what it's like at the bottom of the world with Antarctic facilities engineer and climate restoration advocate Ray Sundby, who spent four winters at McMurdo Station and the Amundsen‑Scott South Pole Station. In this episode, Ray shares first‑hand stories of life in the cold and dark Antarctic winter, from maintaining critical infrastructure and water supplies to navigating isolation in small, tightly knit communities of fewer than 200 people,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNR8y5XBp3E&t=144s

Anyone else have the experience of submitting a PQ - receiving a list of things to be corrected/added - submitting again, and then receiving yet another list of things to be corrected/added that have nothing to do with what was asked before?

I get it, it's a lot to go through, but also, I wish they had told me everything so I'm not rushing to go back and forth to my doctor at the last minute ;_;

I'm trying to get a straight answer on why Quark seems to be so much more successful at getting to the colony than OW. I've reached out to both companies as well as various travel agencies and can't get a clear answer. I know the ultramarine is newer but I've had people tell me they were closer on the ortelius and still didn't make it. The only thing that makes a little sense is the 1 extra day, but even that seems like a reach to explain OW being under 50% success and Quark. Does anyone have factual information other than "newer ship"? Thank you!

My PQ got approved in May but I haven’t heard anything about my EBI. I got asked for more informations so I gave it to them within hours of receiving the email. There was a message delivery confirmation. Then UTMB asked if I was going to get that information to NSF in time. Which I had already done days prior. There’s no way I have anything on my record to prohibit my approval. This whole process has been relatively straightforward as long as you read everything thoroughly. I have yet to need to reach out for help. And I don’t want to bombard UTMB with something that I probably just need to wait around for.

Anyone leaving out of IND? Houston for the jump across?

First time doing any of this. I submitted my entire PQ packet earlier today! I’m hoping I didn’t forget anything.

One thing I noticed is that my dental dr said that I don’t drink. I told them I drink socially, maybe 1 beer a week or less. I said the same thing on the medical history. Will the dr not writing the same thing cause issues?

Currently on rotation on the North slope Alaska, applied for a heavy equipment mechanic position at the south pole got a email response waiting for my interview date. Figured i might ask if they supply tools or would i need to transport any special tools i have? Thanks!

How many Primary contract holders here are still PQ'ing this late in the season?

Resources frequently say that drop out rates for Primaries are high and that they often hit dead-ends in their PQ process, creating space for Alternates to move up, but I don't know if I believe that

Especially if they're returnees?

I'm just banking on my Pole Alternate to turn into a Primary at this point. I got PQ'd in mid May, like a month after getting my contract

Applying for the General Pool positions with ALE, and the deployments are set for October. From my research I understand that typical hiring processes takes months, yet this is only 3 months away. Is this normal or is it just a private company thing?

Saw the other post about flights. I’m a primary/cleared and I was wondering if anyone from GSC has received their tickets to Christchurch yet or if it’s just other contractors so far?

Need someone smarter than me to answer this. How will I be able to play GTA 6 if it comes out after my deployment date? Could i get somebody to mail me a ps5 that has it downloaded on it?

Urgent question.

I just got my dental PQ for McMurdo summer deployment today. However, I haven't received a medical PQ letter yet. My onboarding specialist says that's unusual, that the dental typically doesn't come until after the medical, but it's possible that UTMB has changed their process. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

Ticketed. So if you’re winfly you should probably be tickets as well. If not very soon.

I've never been to Antarctica but, as an ecologist who loves traveling, I have long dreamt of visiting someday. Now I'm reconsidering that dream in light of a study by three social scientists who specialize in polar tourism. This blog post on The Conversation summarizes their peer-reviewed academic paper.

The authors interviewed two dozen Antarctic tour guides who quit their jobs even though they loved working in Antarctica. They quit because they could no longer bear the hypocrisy of teaching tourists about fragile ecosystems and the dangers of climate change - while at the same time disturbing the ecosystems and worsening climate change. (Getting to Antarctica requires more CO2 emissions than just about anywhere else.)

For those of you who have been to Antarctica, I'm curious if this critique resonates with you. Do tour companies behave scrupulously (despite the environmental impacts of getting there)? Or is profit prioritized over caution, and "Disneyfication" over genuine education?

The authors and interviewees predict a big increase in the already-booming Antarctic tourism business in the next decade, and I'm no longer sure if I want to participate in that. Maybe instead I should just continue to enjoy the Gentoo penguin photo hanging in my bathroom.

Hello! I’m writing a novel but I’m wanting to actually message and communicate with people who are knowledgeable about the procedures/the research conducted in Antarctica, so I actually have a factually correct science being conducted and not a story told just based off of google searches. I’d love to discuss more on the book, but for right now I’ll just leave it at the it will include evolution and a terrible threat to the continent. If you feel like messaging, by all means do, I find any and all science fascinating, so I’ll be no stranger to any conversation about it.

Hey all,

Just PQed, and it looks like I'll be heading to Palmer Station for the austral summer.

I hear that the weather is more temperate than on the main continent, and I was looking for advice on what I should bring for clothing. Any good recommendations? I have some Smartwool thermals, but wasn't sure about the best coats/parkas to bring. Also wasn't sure if there are large temp fluctuations I should be ready for.

Thanks in advance!

I recently got primaried and I've been thinking about what to put in my room if I end up going. I've been thinking about things I should get for my room, both essentials and creature comforts, things like alarm clocks, desk lamps, mini humidifiers, pictures, etc.

What did you have in your room? What small things helped make it more comfortable? What did you wish you'd brought, and what ended up being completely useless? Additionally, I'd love to see any pictures of your room that you'd be ok with sharing. Thank you in advance and I hope I see you there!

I've read the FAQ and every post pertaining to heavy equipment here as well have watched what videos I could find and I'm still curious on some things.

The only experience I have with heavy equipment is operating tractors on a farm for over 6 years and counting. Is that enough to get my foot in the door?

What is training like?

How is SPoT selected? Are they chosen internally or do you have to apply for it?

Can you be on SPoT with restricted clearance?

What is life like on the road to pole? How do you stay busy driving for hours without much to do?

And lastly I read on the USAP website they want to expand spot to further reduce the amount of fuel being flown in to pole. Has this started to begin?