Life and Occupation in Antarctica's Frozen Environs
In the heart of the Antarctic, where the sun never sets and the wind always blows, Kiell Kosberg, a blogger from Minneapolis, Minnesota, found an unexpected adventure. Kiell worked as a support person at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, a research hub dedicated to astronomy, aeronomy, cosmology, and astrophysics.
The weather in Antarctica during the summer season can range from a chilly -50F with a bone-chilling -80 windchill, to a record-warm +10F, as Kiell experienced on Christmas last year. Despite the extreme conditions, the station relies on a dedicated team of support staff, including cooks, IT personnel, carpenters, logistics personnel, heavy equipment operators, and a waste crew.
Kiell's role evolved during her two summers at the station. In her first season, she worked as a General Assistant (GA), where she was assigned to the Vehicle Maintenance Facility, spending much of her time shovelling snow and chipping mucky ice off the frozen metal floor. In her second season, Kiell worked as a Materials person, keeping track of incoming cargo and doing inventory on existing items.
One of Kiell's most memorable tasks was dismantling, inventorying, and rebuilding an outdoor storage berm using the heavy equipment she had learned to drive during her training. The job was challenging, but the sense of accomplishment was rewarding.
Working in Antarctica requires a lot of hard work, with long workdays and a lot of overtime. However, the isolation and harsh conditions are balanced by a unique community spirit. There are many activities for fun, including sports, dance parties, language classes, photography seminars, movie nights, open mic performances, pub trivia, a music room, a craft room, a gym, a library, and hanging out in the greenhouse.
Saturday nights at the Jamesway Lounge, a summer camp for overflow staff, can be particularly lively. With a disco ball, loud music, a stripper pole, and an ice luge shaped like Roald Amundsen's head, these nights are a highlight of the Antarctic summer.
Despite the long hours and extreme conditions, Kiell formed close bonds with her fellow workers. She learned that you can make a life by patching together work and adventure, even in the most inhospitable lands.
Life in Antarctica is not without its challenges. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs are delivered every three weeks or so during the summer, and shower facilities are limited due to water restrictions. Jamesways, the semi-cylindrical canvas and plywood structures where many staff live, offer only visual privacy, with curtain or door partitions.
In the winter, when it's totally dark out, the ambient temperature gets down to -100F with windchills at -125F. To cope with the cold, people take part in the 300 Club, where they sit in the sauna as hot as it goes, then run outside naked, around the Pole and back.
The food in Antarctica consists mainly of meat and potatoes, but the galley staff does a good job with vegetarian food. Living in Jamesways means you can hear each other moving around, coughing, vomiting, peeing, or sleeping with someone.
Despite these challenges, Kiell's time in Antarctica was filled with unique experiences. She witnessed a partial solar eclipse, helped lay dynamite to blow up the buried original station, and even de-fuelled military planes.
Kiell's top tip for someone heading to Antarctica is to bring lots of socks. She also learned to be grateful for long hot showers, trees, lakes, good coffee, and quality beer when she returned home.
For those interested in a unique and challenging adventure, Antarctica offers a variety of jobs for non-scientists, primarily in support, logistics, and operational roles. Positions tend to be seasonal or expedition-based, often requiring the ability to live and work in extreme environments. Whether it's managing meal preparation, maintaining equipment, planning expeditions, or participating in citizen science programs, there's a role for everyone in Antarctica.
- Kiell's unexpected adventure in Antarctica, despite the extreme conditions, was balanced by a unique community spirit that included activities like sports, dance parties, photography seminars, and movie nights.
- Working as a Materials person, Kiell kept track of incoming cargo and did inventory on existing items, but also experienced challenges such as dismantling and rebuilding an outdoor storage berm using heavy equipment.
- One could find a variety of jobs for non-scientists in Antarctica, ranging from managing meal preparation to participating in citizen science programs, offering a unique and challenging adventure in extreme environments.
- Having left the Antarctic, Kiell is grateful for the little luxuries of life, like long hot showers, trees, lakes, good coffee, and quality beer, but also values the life lessons she learned about making a life by patching together work and adventure.
