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Beyond the flags…

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A Summer Recreation Trip Just Beyond The Flagline at Rothera…

Here at Rothera we have a large amount of recreation on offer to us – I have learnt rather fastly is that you get out of rothera whatever you put in. Fancy a late sleep in on a sunday morning – or get up early strap some planks to your feet,head up the hill and be blessed with an almighty show in the skies above!

When schedules align, a somewhat overly optimistic forecast and when people are excited, bam! Recreation trips are up for grabs. Usually, they’re fully booked within the blink of an eye. On my latest escapade, I somehow managed to drag myself up to North Stork – a peak just outside our “free travel” zone. As a self-proclaimed mountain enthusiast, I couldn’t help but think to myself, how on earth have i found myself mountaineering on a sunday morning…. in ANTARCTICA.

As the pictures clearly show – this particular Sunday presented an environment with a sense of mystery and adventure, as the limited visibility and lack of contrast added an element of thrill to our journey. The challenge of differentiating between the ground and the surroundings only added to the excitement as we roped up for some glacier travel, setting our sights ambitiously towards a summit that lay hidden from view.

Zigzagging up the snowfield, gaining height, and suddenly, everything began to come into focus – the skies expanded back to their majestic, infinite size. The climb was barely challenging,enjoyable movements across a wide range of surfaces. Transitioning onto the rugged, broken rock the summit gradually came into view, and what an awe-inspiring sight it was.

Southern Skua’s flew majestically overhead,a few ambitious dive-bomb attempts made us very aware that this was their world we were in… their cries echoing through the stillness of this magnificent day, a sight none of us could have fathomed..

The journey downward was uneventful, which only served to highlight the awe-inspiring beauty of the Antarctic wilderness. It was a delightful experience to traverse the rock and snow alongside both novices and seasoned professionals, all united by our shared love and admiration for this remarkable place we call home.It further concretes the shared commitment to preserving its serenity and protecting it from any form of destruction.

This picture is definitely one of my favourites I took from my whole time at Rothera – The windscoop was on an unimaginable scale – a truly beautiful display of nature and its powerful capabilities down south.

As we made our way back to the Piston Bully, the allure of Sunday brunch overwhelmed any worry of crevasses. The immense satisfaction of indulging in Sunday recreation overshadowed all else. A great morning and I’ll be eternally grateful to the people giving their time to run these trips!

The ‘Messiest Yet Most Fun Brunch’

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Each monday afternoon on base we have SITREP – an opportunity for all personnel on station to be in one room to deliver important messages between departments – to warn of inclement weather due or events happening soon.

The call went out from the kitchen for teams of people to take on ‘cook days’ to allow kitchen staff some much deserved time off – Basically cooking for the 120+ people on base…. Me,Matt & Matt found ourselve debating on what shift to take… eventually I became an honorary ‘MATT’ and we signed ourselves up to produce Sunday Brunch – St Patricks Day! A monumental task…with high stakes…

The morning commenced, with us truly overwhelmed with where to start, where to find ingredients and how much to produce – Matt also had the great idea of baking special Irish breads – forgoing the idea of hash browns, some would say controversial.

Dan – station SSA on shift that morning encouraged us to find an all important document that would lead us in the right direction and with that – we swung into production – Bacon being produced by the kg – sausages too – Beans and tomatoes’ being cooked by the cauldron – Bread on the other hand – it was a dark art that we’d decided not to do a dry run on….

-Eggs are also another addition – one that caused great carnage – alongside the chaotic and somehow miraculous production of potato bread – Matt the master baker baked enough bread to fully cover the needs of the station for the week.

we genuinely couldn’t keep up with the stations need for eggs – Dan would exclaim ‘EGG’ literally every 14.2 seconds as the pass filled with egg expecting clientele – the Brat pan was full steam ahead – me and Ivory double teaming to simultaneously cook eggs and the potato bread – it was beyond carnage!

And with that – service comes to a close – The messiest yet apparently – flour covered the floor – beans burnt to the hob and bread dough lay only as evidence to a morning full of laughter,carnage and appetites satisfied.

Flourishing in the cold…

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I am writing this post 40 days after leaving the UK, Time really does act very strange down here in Antarctica…Life moves super fast yet so slowly, it’s beyond a chore to find space and time for yourself amongst the hustle and bustle of station life.

I’ve completely immersed myself in life on the station! Some highlights: 3 boat trips, 2 gruel refuelling shifts, rediscovering the joy of skiing, participating in an Antarctic quidditch match,more on that later, one ‘gash’ shift, all while basking in the perpetual midnight sun!

During the austral summer, when the continent experiences continuous daylight, the sun appears to linger on the horizon, casting a perpetual golden glow. This phenomenon, known as the “golden hour,” bathes the landscape in warm, soft light, creating ethereal scenes that seem almost surreal in their beauty.

The walls here are adorned with pictures of travels past, Shackleton and Scott are just a small number of the endless monotone exhibits. I often ponder what they would make of the comfort we have down here, the 5 daily meals, central heating, and electricity…and of course, starlink internet! Conversing with many Antarctic veterans on base, it’s clear that things are changing here, evidenced by the endless construction noise and the erection of huge, new buildings. These pictures and stories make the base feel like a living history museum of the last frontier, one that’s surprisingly comfortable for us in 2024. We are a microcosm of British society, hidden away at 68 degrees south, and I feel beyond privileged to be here, regardless of my comfort levels. We are a port,an airport,a logistics hub for science further south and a community all working together to keep things running smoothly, well as smooth as possible, after all, THIS IS ANTARCTICA.

With the chaotic,temperamental Antarctic ‘summer’ the seasons can be experienced all in one day, more often than you may think,we’l wake up to a blanket of snow and by the evening the station has fully transformed. Snow melt happens rapidly and plans for recreation after work,are often spontaneous and without set plans.

Sat here, 55 days into this huge adventure, blown away by what I’ve already seen, I’m looking forward to seeing whats to come.. the sun is slowly starting to disappear and the dark nights are rolling in. The nights are packed full of activities to bring us altogether – We’ve had ceilidh’s and film festivals,endless bingo nights with Julie and many days of films,science talks and presentation.

Despite the challenges, many people find working in Antarctica to be a profoundly rewarding experience.. I’ve been interrogating outgoing winterers on their experience of long term antarctica life and the obvious pro’s and cons of life down south

The adventure begins – Rothera beckons

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Uncomfortably lay in a South American airport terminal, I’ve already conquered the 13-hour long-haul flight—an unrestful adventure teeming with anticipation, introspection, and contemplation of the journey that led me to this point. Jet lagged and exhausted, 3 flights endured we arrive into Punta Arenas with a final leap to Antarctica yet to come,weather dependant, we anxiously await that information.


Fortunately, we had just a single day to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Punta Arenas. Soon after, we boarded the British Antarctic Surveys Dash plane, their transport for ferrying personnel between Chile, the Falklands and their Antarctic destinations. The journey itself proved to be indescribable as we soared through dense clouds, catching tantalizing glimpses of the icy continent beneath us.

Landing at Rothera Research Station was a culmination of so many,mixed, emotions. It was a place i was so familiar with, I’d spent months researching the base,reading blogs with intimate stories of days gone by and the intense modernisation project well underway. Despite the visual familiarity and breathtaking surroundings, I found myself a newcomer amidst a community of over 140 individuals deeply entrenched in the rhythm of station life. I had to learn and intertwine with the procedures and the way things operate here. One thing I noticed immediately was that base, to me, seemed a microcosm of British society, my new home at the edge of the world.

It was Christmas Eve, I’d been here almost a week, friendships are blooming slowly getting round to catching up with everyone i’d met at PDT in september and to those i hadn’t met – it was a big adventure of getting acquainted to everyone id surround myself with for the next 6 months.

My Christmas eve was spent on two leisurely boat trips, exploring the surroundings of the base. We encountered various Antarctic birds, leopard and elephant seals, and, of course, the adorable penguins! The glaciers and mountains, plunging straight into the sea, offered breathtaking views. Even now, it’s hard to believe how unique and privileged it is to work in this extraordinary place.

Life here is chaotic,fast paced and forever running beyond the realms of any schedule – I hope to find time to write here about all that occurs over the next 6 months