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Entry time:	Fri Feb 2 20:41:35 2018
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<p>Here are a bunch of my thoughts on prepping for Antarctica. This mostly pertains to my experience travelling to the South Pole in support of the 2017-2018 ARA commissioning and calibration activities. I was  at the South Pole for about a month, and accumulated about of week of time in MCM due to flight delays.</p> <p><u>Attire and Clothing Distribution Center (CDC)</u></p> <ul> <li>When you go for clothing distribution, don’t take your long johns with you, but do take your thick wool socks. Try on your ECW boots with your thick wool socks on so you know they fit right.</li> <li>Trade the wind pants for Carhartts. Just ask. The people at the CDC are really nice, and they won’t give you as much trouble as it looks like they will. They really just want to help.</li> <li>Lots of people will tell you to trade the Bunny boots for Baffin’s (or another type of boot). Whether that’s a good idea depends on you and your work. The bunny boots are super warm—we did lots of outside work, and people with Baffin’s were always complaining of cold feet, while Bunny Boot folks never did. The Baffin’s are lighter, taller, and buckle up (no strings). I’m also told they are more “natural” for walking—the Bunny’s really suck for walking long distances.</li> <li>Get the fit of your clothing right while you’re at the CDC. It’s embarrassing sometimes to sit there and have to go back and forth repeatedly to get something to fit right (especially if you’re a bigger person). But your life depends on this stuff. Just keep at it, they really do have stuff for people of every size there.</li> <li>Bring a pair of good, waterproof hiking boots. I made the mistake of only having my ECW boots and tennis shoes (along with shower shoes and slippers). The thing is, if you want to go on a 5-10 minute walk somewhere—and you have to do that a lot at Pole and McMurdo—tennis shoes are too light and ECW boots are too heavy.</li> <li>Bring a good medium weight sweater/jacket, or keep the little red they give you. It’s really nice to have medium weight outer wear while you’re there.</li> <li>Bring a spare pair of backup eyeware. My primary eyeware is contact. I brought two pairs of backup glasses. This was a good idea. I scratched my “primary” backup glasses my first week at pole, and was glad to have a “backup” backup pair of glasses.</li> </ul> <p><u>Packing</u></p> <ul> <li>Most people have four bags: (1) backpack, (2) suitcase/big personal duffle, (3) orange bag from CDC, (4) orange bag from CDC. My advice: <ul style="list-style-type:circle"> <li>For CHC->MCM <ul> <li>The backpack as a carry on</li> <li>One orange bag as boomerang bag</li> <li>Other orange bag for excess ECW</li> <li>Suitcase stays as suitcase</li> </ul> </li> <li>For MCM -> NPX and NPX -> MCM <ul> <li>The backpack as carry on</li> <li>One orange bag as carry on</li> <li>Other orange bag for excess ECW</li> <li>Suitcase stays as suitcase</li> </ul> </li> <li>For MCM -> CHC <ul> <li>The backpack as carry on</li> <li>One orange bag as carry on (stuff backpack inside this if they get fussy about having only one carry on)</li> <li>Other orange bag for ECW</li> <li>Suitcase stays suitcase</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li>For your trip from CHC to MCM, pack a boomerang bag with (at least) two changes of clothes. Some people will tell you to not pack a boomerang. I disagree. I’d say you should carry a backpack (with your laptop and stuff in it) and then also one of the orange bags with your change of clothes and stuff.</li> <li>Once they take your bag dragged bag, you might not see it for a week. We got stuck at NPX waiting for a flight, and I was without my checked luggage for 6 days.</li> <li>For your trip from NPX to MCM, pack a really heavy carry on. I packed three days change of clothes, but then got stuck in NPX (without my bag!) for six days. I was very thankful I had my heavy carry on, even though it was a pain.</li> <li>Bring a good, sealing water bottle. You can also buy one when you arrive in Antarctica.</li> <li>Always always always pack your tennis shoes in your carry on. You do not want to be stranded in MCM for days and days with only bunny boots as footwear.</li> </ul> <p><u>Logistics</u></p> <ul> <li>Do laundry in CHC. You’ll have been travelling for two days, and then you have two days to sit and wait in CHC. Don’t go to pole with four days of dirty laundry in tow. Do laundry in CHC.</li> <li>You will be given an opportunity to store bags of personal belonging at the CDC on the day of your clothing issue. So, if you want to camp in a tent around NZ when you get back from the ice, you can store that at the CDC.</li> <li>In MCM, do bag drag in two trips. Don’t try to haul all your luggage to 140 (the transport building) in one go, you’ll be miserable.</li> <li>They will squawk a lot about “one bag carry-on limits” in the paperwork and on the screens. Ignore them, >50% of folks bring two carry-ons, and no one will bat an eye.</li> <li>Before you leave for transport or for bag drag, check the computer monitors outside the galley in Building 155. Check this monitor (or the TV in your room) frequently for updates. You can also check the McMurdo intranet.</li> <li>They will make a big deal about the computer screening. Pay attention and do what they ask—it’s good for your computer. That said, if your computer fails the screening, they don’t check when you want to connect to the internet, so it doesn’t really matter.</li> <li>The military flights are really loud, and they will give you ear plugs to help. Some people have some success with ear plugs + noise cancelling headphones. In any case, you should bring something to read (like a kindle or book) because talking is totally out of the option, and music might be also. Some people watch a movie with subtitles on, but that’s personal taste I think.</li> </ul> <p><u>Living and Working at Pole</u></p> <ul> <li>The NPX and MCM don't really have wifi. So if you have a mac, you really want to make sure not to forget your ethernet -> USB/thunderbolt adapter.</li> <li>You’ll be working at the ICL a lot, which is about a 2km walk (part of the return trip is uphill) from the South Pole Station. So be prepared to do some walking, as you’ll probably walk this twice a day (because you usually walk back to station for lunch). If you don’t want to walk that much, you might consider bringing lunch with you to the ICL everyday.</li> <li>The ICL has an outhouse and not a bathroom. No running water either. So pack water and be prepared.</li> <li>MCM sells tissues, but there aren’t many lying around. Pole as lots of tissues lying around everywhere.</li> <li>Pole has hand warmers available everywhere in great quantities—don’t buy or pack them. MCM has them in the “outdoor supply” closet in 155.</li> <li>Antarctica, and pole specifically, is really really dry. Assume you’ll go through ~1 chap stick once every week or two.</li> <li>The pole store (Pole Mart) is really well outfitted with basic necessities. You can buy cold meds, pain relievers, q-tips, eye glass repair kits, etc. I was surprised how much I could buy there. Don’t count on them having your favorite moisturizer or soap though—they only stock one kind of deodorizer per gender, for example.</li> <li>I highly recommend taking the Diamox they will offer you. At worst, it doesn’t help. Some people get the dry mouth side effect really bad, if so, talk to the physicians.</li> <li>Expect to wear your ECW every time you go outside. MCM is ~25-30F, and pole is hardly ever warmer than -15 or -10 F. The windchills frequently push down to -40F or -50F, even in condition 3. Folks that had been to MCM and were first time at pole didn’t realize that to go outside for any extended period of time, you really do have to be dressed fully (wool socks, carharts, balaclava, goggles, big red).</li> <li>Working at pole is really tough (considerably harder than in MCM). You are at >10,200 ft elevation, and you have no time whatsoever to acclimatize. The atmosphere is just thinner—there is just less oxygen, and you have to deal with it. Expect climbing stairs, lifting heavy boxes, etc. to wind you faster and to be more tired even after you’ve caught your breath. When you walk outside you’re wearing all your ECW, remember that you’re essentially mountain climbing with a 30 lb extra weight at 10,000ft elevation. It’s just harder. Take your first two or three days easy—that’s going to be frustrating. Invariably your flight will have been delayed and you will be behind schedule. But you will regret hurting yourself otherwise.</li> </ul> <p><u>Food</u></p> <ul> <li>In MCM, some of the hot food is available 24/7, namely pizza and waffles. You can also always make a deli sandwich, get cereal, chips, and ice-cream along with juices.</li> <li>In NPX, hot food is only available during meal times, but definitely use the left-over fridge and microwave if you need food during an off-time. Also, in the bar area in the galley, there is usually chips (like goldfish, pretzels, and lays) in addition to a breadbox and peanut-butter jelly supplies.</li> </ul> <p><u>Last Words</u></p> <ul> <li>Especially at pole, just sit down and say hi and start talking. Pole is <strong>extremely</strong> communal. People will think it’s weird if you don’t say hi in the hallway. People generally welcome a new conversation or new friend, so don’t be shy in this regard.</li> <li>Lots of people around you might be on their 10<sup>th</sup> trip to pole. They are fountains of wisdom. Much of the lifesaving advice I got (like packing tennis shoes in my carry on) I only got because I had chatted with more experienced travelers. So don't be shy. It's everyone's first time to Antarctica at some point, and the "veterans" are usually thrilled to be talking to a new person.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <table align="center" cellspacing="1" style="border:1px solid #486090; width:98%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="background-color:#486090">Quote:</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="background-color:#FFFFB0"> <p><span style="font-size:16px">I was in Antarctica for 2 months in year 2016 to launch and support the ANITA-4 mission. I was mostly at/near McMurdo (MCM) Station. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><strong>What to pack </strong>(thanks to Steph Wissel, Brian Hill for heavily contributing to below list):</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">(You will be issued Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear at the USAP CDC in New Zealand.)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- TISSUES. If you use tissues to blow your nose, bring 'em. There are none on that continent but you WILL make insane amounts of nasal mucus. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Plenty of normal street clothes, like what you wear everyday here. In MCM you can do laundry once a week, but if you are traveling to field camps probably not as often. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Several leggings for wearing under clothes as needed. There were days when I wore JUST warm leggings for pants and I usually regretted not layering up more. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Couple pairs of thermal underwear (e.g. from Cabela's) for when staying out for longer periods of time. Definitely for hikes. Remember, if it is nice in MCM doesnt mean it will be nice everywhere and weather in a desert can CHANGE very quickly and drastically.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Long thick socks (Costco has good deals) </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- At least one warm hat, preferably one that preserves body heat (e.g. from Cabela's) </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Earplugs, noise canceling headphones (<strong>to mitigate military plane LOUD noise</strong>, room-mate's snoring, loud talking, etc.)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Good Eye mask in case your roommate's schedule is different from yours, plus remember 24-hrs sunlight during Summer there </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Slippers for going to the bathroom.  Some dorms have community bathrooms. Others share bathrooms between two suites. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Workout clothes and shoes. There are 2-3 gyms in MCM. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Warm Slippers for wearing in dorm, common room. I also wore a warm fuzzy house-gown a lot in the dorm and everyone else wished they had one. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Work gloves that you can grab screws with. <strong>Good to have these in addition to the gloves you will be issued.</strong> Throw in some hand-warmers if needed. You get hand-warmers in MCM. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Decent-ish sunglasses, few pairs.  You don't want really cheap ones since you really rely on them. They might break so you might want a few. I bought one $100 Michael Kors pair that lasted me the whole season. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Spare prescription glasses, contact lenses </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Washcloth and towel</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Sandals for the shower as they are dorm style</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Good Body Lotion, it is VERY dry there</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Power adapter for your time in New Zealand</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Lightweight boots or decent shoes for hiking and wearing around McMurdo. The hikes are over snow, gravel and rocks, you don't need anything extravagant but you probably want decent shoes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Some sort of music player, book, or something to keep you busy during the 45 min rides to and from LDB (for ANITA). NO internet on your phone there. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Nice Clothes for holiday dinners (Christmas, Thanksgiving) </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Good camera </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Backup harddrive (at least 1-2TB) </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— If you have space, backup laptop.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Medicines. Lots and lots of cold meds, pain-relief type meds, digestion/diarrhea meds, general first-aid kit stuff is nice to have. You can get some meds there too but bring your own supply. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Any arts and crafts supplies or games, etc. you really want to have. You can check out musical instruments and ski equipment from the station. There is an arts and crafts room. Games are available in the wine bar. There are two gyms, one with aerobic machines and another with weights. There are also yoga classes and a knitting community.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— For television, there are VHS and DVD players in the lounge. There is a TV in grantee's rooms that plays movies regularly. I brought a 256GB flashdrive full of movies and shows. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Party clothes. There are several dance parties throughout the summer season. There's also a costume party on Halloween, but people just usually go to Skua (a place where people get rid of stuff and others pick it up for free.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">-- Wipes for cleaning hands, etc. on the plane or in a field camp. Military plane bathrooms are very interesting and may not have the stuff you are used to. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Some people buy whiskey in Christchurch at this whisky wholesaler and then they have a nice bottle for the entire season. You can bring liquor in your luggage if it meets the weight restrictions.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">Tips about getting ready for the flight from Christchurch:</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Most importantly, when you check in for your flight, you should assume that your bag is going to be taken away from you and you won’t get it back for a few days. So pack a change of clothes, shoes, underwear, and grooming supplies in your carryon. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— The CDC gives you orange bags to pack your ECW into. You can expand your carryon to accommodate your backpack and shoes that way.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px">— Make sure to use the restroom on the plane well before you land in Antarctica. You won’t be able to use the restroom for at least an hour or two after you land, because you have to ride from Pegasus to McMurdo on a slow moving people mover (say hello to Shuttle Bob for me, I miss him terribly).</span></p> <p><u><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">Brian Hill's advice collected by Steph/Oindree:</span></span></u></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">You will be issued a lot of gear at the clothing distribution center (CDC) in Christchurch. My advice to you is to take everything. You will be given an opportunity to try things on, so try everything on.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">I would recommend making the following changes:</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">-Swap the bunny boots to Baffin boots or if you can't get Baffin boots, switch to FDX boots.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">-Make sure you get little red, it's like a windbreaker but with a lot of pockets. I normally wore pants or shorts, a t-shirt and maybe little red. If it was cold, I could wear another layer under little red.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">-If you are going to spend any time in the field, ask for gauntlet gloves. I found it really nice to throw a bunch of handwarmers in the gauntlet gloves so I could do whatever fine work I needed to and then put  the gauntlets on to warm up my hands.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">-I would swap the windpants they issue you for Carhartts. </span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">If they give you a hard time tell them you are a grantee and will be in the field. I will turn most of the stuff back in because I don't need it, but it's better to find that out through your own experience.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">There is a library there with books, DVDs are available at no charge, there is a gym, they have an ATM, a limited selection of toiletries are available but they have everything soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, lotion, deodorant... Food is free, alcohol is available for purchase in at least the bars and probably the store. There is a gift shop in McMurdo and at the New Zealand base, Scott Base.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">Here is a shot of the gear that can be issued. Not all of it is issued to you, some of it you have to ask for.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_th9f3B97Gno/TQcLMjUCHoI/AAAAAAAAAyo/-VfzNvCWrPY/s1600/IMG_2624.JPG" target="_blank"><span style="color:#B22222">http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_th9f3B97Gno/TQcLMjUCHoI/AAAAAAAAAyo/-VfzNvCWrPY/s1600/IMG_2624.JPG</span></a></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">I'll point out a few things, the boots are on the right. It's hard to see, the top are Baffins, the middle are FDXs, the bottom are bunny boots which are the default. Most people don't like them, but some do. I think it's worth switching to something else and if you really don't like what you got, blame me.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">The gauntlet gloves are green and just to the left of the FDX boots.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">All the items I suggested swapping for are available or were available from the CDC.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">You must get the boots, big red, carhartts or windpants, and goggles. They also issue you little red, a fleece jacket, fleece pants, thermal underwear, socks, multiple gloves, mittens, glove liners, a balaclava and maybe a neck gator. If you are familiar with cold weather, we shouldn't see much below about -30F,  and you have your own gear, I would say bring your own. I would plan on doing a one for one swap so for example if you have a fleece jacket, or a good midlayer, I would say forgo the one from the CDC and bring your own. However, Christian has a lot of his own gear, but I think he will be leaving it here because he doesn't want to lug it around with him.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:#B22222"><span style="font-size:16px">Yes you can mail things from McMurdo, that includes postcards, letters, and packages. Because of the weight restrictions a lot of people mail gifts back. They have postcards and stamps available for purchase there.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> Encoding: HTML ELCode plain Suppress Email notification Resubmit as new entry

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