After Girton conference week, everyone who is completing an Antarctic winter attended the winters training days in a place far away up north some near chesterfield!
These training days were vital to prove to each other that we can work great as a team, also we all got to know each other alot more! Arguably the important bit of our training schedule, as when everyone leaves on the last planes and ships in late March we are the people that manage and maintain Rothera ( the antarctic base I am staying).
Additionally, white outs (when the snow is so thick and the wind so strong that you can't see your hands in front of your face - the most critical thing is to decide whether to stay put or make it back to where you can definitely make sure that you're more safe). We practiced using buckets on our head which was highly amusing! We also practiced searching techniques for if someone does get lost during what could have been a simple trip to the toilet in the UK.
As a team of 21 people ranging from scientists to generator technicians, to a doctor and field guides we all needed to be trained in rope work; so the core knots we would use for tying things down to being able to walk with a buddy.
Most importantly here was learning how to save your buddy if they do fall down a crevasse or on the flipside we simulated on the high ropes course how to climb up a straight rope if we had fallen down a crevasse; this involved alot of body strength but more using the tools to your mechanical and frictional advantage to get the best technique for efficency made it alot easier !
There's always a lot of banter between the other bases of Halley, Bird Island and KEP the other wintering stations; we did all socalise together but the cooking turned into a bit of a competiton and it's safe to say that the bubble base a.k.a halley definitely out did us! Good luck to everyone at all the other bases this summer and winter can't wait for all of the other competing that will follow in due course such as photography and the distance challenge !
On our last day we put all of the skills that we used together for a mass incident drill on base. This included the whole team to work together and get the casualties back safely using the most efficent and best protocol!
The few days at Longstone outdoor educational center, with the trips to the pub in the evening was awesome - can't wait to head down south. But first to graduate and then head to the office in Cambridge before more training commences.