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Exploring Antarctica
dargaud writes "There will soon be some firsts on the high Antarctic plateau: after getting 150km from it last year a Chinese expedition plans on reaching Dome A, the highest part of the Antarctic ice sheet (4200m), farthest to reach and coldest place on Earth, untrodden yet. Then in a few months the French-Italian station of Concordia at Dome C (3200m) will open year-round for its first winter-over, of which I will be part. The location of these ice domes make them great for atmospheric physics, glaciology, astronomy and more. Big projects are getting interested in Antarctica again, just in time for the International Polar Year of 2007, 50 years after the first one."
Women have always been a rare and strange breed in Antarctica. Most often there aren't any. During my winter over, women were just some kind of remote and hazy memory. In 2000, a woman did winter over for the first time in Dumont d'Urville, although they have been doing so for a long time in American and Australian stations.
A lot of people seemed to be in a contest for the most original New Year's 2000: from flying the Concorde around the globe to changing the time zone of some Pacific islands... I have to say that ours was quite original: a bunch of scientists, technicians, mechanics all stuck together, getting drunk and dancing with the three available women.
Almost everybody is worthless the first two days: the high altitude combined with the cold and extreme dryness makes for some awful first nights. And hangovers are worse here too: 2 beers are enough to get you hungover in the morning.
So let me get this straight... You are in the coldest area on earth at high altitude with nearly no women and you get hung over from two beers and you return to this place multiple times in your lifetime? This poor guy is one sick fuck but at least his beer stays cold.
Personally, I'll let them see "the new sun" first and I'll stick to the sloppy seconds, at least it's warmed up by then.
Explorer: You've got to start charging more than a dollar a bag. We lost two men on this expedition!
Apu: If you can think of a better way to get ice, I'd like to hear it!
anyone else read the headline as:
"Exploding Antarctica"
and here i thought something really cool was about to happen
May you be touched by His Noodly Appendage. RAmen.
I think that would also get you into the Darwin Award club.
I bet you didn't know that internet porn was a federally funded government project developed just for this purpose?
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
"coldest area on earth at high altitude with nearly no women"
Now you've done it, hardocp will soon establish a city of overclocking enthusiasts there.
Let's get one thing perfectly clear, I did not vote for George W Bush, and I do not endorse what he does or says.
"
The Lost Outpost of the Ancients?
the ancient gene if they need me to power the outpost.
Jonathanjk.com
I'd love to take a holiday in Antartica over the antartic winter. I'd have loads of time to work on projects, no noisy distractions and I'd finally have an excuse to stay indoors for six months!
I'd need some kind of net connection though. The slashdottings would keep me warm during the cold winter nights.
May the Maths Be with you!
...and their weapons of mass destruction.
People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
Don't worry, things are warming up down there.
Soon it will be a great summer resort with swimming and water skiing. The winter vacations will be spent in Cancun.
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Yeah those 8 snowmobiles are destroying the world
Would someone please think of the children!?
Got any more pseudo-scientific horseshit for us?
What type of /.'er are you!? Don't you know that should read "Just imagine a beowolf cluster of 4'10" Chinese Predators"?
Sounds cool and stuff until some Norwegian finds somethingburied in the ice...
Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!
I wait with baited breath for incomprehensible reports from those noble explorers concerning the ancient plateau city of Leng just east of the Mountains of Madness, built eons ago by the Great Old Ones on the very spot where they first infected our planet.
-m
Best. Typo. Ever.
Doug
Dude, everything looks up from down there!