I volunteered to help flag a route over the sea ice between the Ice Runway in front of McMurdo, and Cape Evans, the point halfway up the west coast of Ross Island where Scott built his Terra Nova hut. Our job was to install bamboo flags along a surveyed route that kept a fairly straight line but avoided all dangerous cracks in the sea ice. The plan was to flag the route, then fleet operations would groom the route to make it suitable for driving. All photos are courtesy of Dr. Keri Gardner, the winter-over doctor.
The approximate route we were to flag.
Two Pisten Bullys. We actually made two trips to flag our share of the route. The first attempt was in miserable weather, and we had to abort due to a hydraulic leak on the Pisten Bully seen at left.
I rode shotgun in this flatbed Pisten Bully. Pisten Bullys are the ride of choice for low speed, off road, moderate weather, land travel in the Antarctic. They are normally used at ski resorts.
Me standing in the 20+kt winds.
We tried again a week later. This time we brought a couple of snowmobiles, one Pisten Bully, and a Hagglund, the orange vehicle in the back.
The tracked vehicles would drive along the future route, and the snowmobiles would follow behind and insert bamboo poles into holes drilled in the ice.
Me sitting atop the Pisten Bully.
The view from Cape Evans looking northwest. The plateau at top right is Barnes Glacier.
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