This is my diary written during my 2 years long contract with the British Antarctic Survey including an 18 month mission to the Halley station in the Antarctica commencing late 2016. The earlier diary posts full size PDF documents available on the links below, however as my time shrank I had to switch to simple text posts and then to brief reports.

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Field summer

Three weeks away from any stations in the deep field of Antarctica, living in tents on man food and a minimal comfort level, crossing the British Antarctic Territory and flying all around the Filchner ice-shelf to service almost twenty monitoring sites by plane.
[Photo albums: Sky Blu, Berkner, Foundation, Shackleton] [Maps]

The Foundation ice-stream
[Rothera summer: 30/12/2016, Foundation: -83.251°/-59.753°]
– Home at Antarctica
– Electronics under the snow
– The fuse killer
– Life on the ice
– Christmas time
– Playing with the snow

The Berkner island
[Rothera summer: 21/12/2016, Berkner: -79.548°/-45.692°]
– Time goes wild
– Red plane, blue sky
– Dinner guests
– Five more degrees South
– Weekday holiday

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Rothera summer

I spent my first month in Antarctica at the Rothera station from November to December 2016, which mainly consisted of the induction to the Antarctic work and the preparation to the instrument servicing field trips.
[Photo albums: Travel, Rothera, Peninsula]

Ready to go again
[Rothera summer: 14/12/2016, Rothera: -67.568°/-68.125°]
– Waiting
– Diary writing
– Skiing
– Questions and answers

Touch the sky
[Rothera summer: 07/12/2016, Larsen ice shelf: -66.686°/-62.460°]
– Touch the sky
– Hurry up and wait!
– Past the mountains
– Landing on snow
– Let’s do some science
– Oh my, I’m flying!
– The stopped weather
– Questions and answers

Weekdays at Rothera
[Rothera summer: 26/11/2016, Rothera: -67.568°/-68.125°]
– Weekdays
– Communication
– Science at the station
– Geography of Rothera
– Everyday sport
– Weekend
– Questions and answers

Arrival to Antarctica [Rothera summer: 16/11/2016, Rothera: -67.568°/-68.125°] – Dream or real – Travel to the Antarctica – Rothera tour – Gash (housework) – Camping on the hill – Questions and answers

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Training period

A three-month-long preparation time from mid August to early November 2016 , which will mainly consist of training sessions in Cambridge and the Peak District, and also some holiday time in Stockholm.
[Photo albums: Cambridge, Duxford, Stockholm, Newcastle, London]

Countdown
[Training period-08/11/2016, Cambridge- 52.212°/0.078°]
– Countdown
– A day in Newcastle
– Farewell half-marathon
– London nights
– Checking stocks

Winter to summer
[Training period-31/10/2016, Stockholm – 59.380°/18.029°]
– From  winter to summer
– Dad in Stockholm
– Cooking
– Time shift
– Running photos

Holiday
[Training period-25/10/2016, Stockholm – 59.380°/18.029°]
– On holiday
– Marathon trainings
– Family reunion
– Who cares
– Antarctic map

I’m ready
[Training period-19/10/2016, Derbyshire – 59.381°/18.028°]
– I’m ready
– Sailor training
– Running mania
– Destination: Stockholm
– Over the clouds

Playground
[Training period-09/10/2016, Cambridge – 52.212°/0.078°]
– Fake princess from the tower
– Through my body
– Over the firewall
– Went to the cinema

The joy of work
[Training period-02/10/2016, Cambridge – 52.212°/0.078°]
– Words on unwisdom
– The joy of work
– War memories
– An elevated feeling

Field camp
[Training period-24/09/2016, Stockholm  – 59.381°/18.028°]
– Stockholm
– Field camp

Girton conference
[Training period-16/09/2016, Girton – 52.227°/0.085°]
– Floating
– Girton college
– Relying on each other
– Photo-hunting

Training milestone
[Training period- 09/09/2016, Cambridge – 52.212°/0.078°]
– Training milestone
– The botanic garden of Cambridge
– Ozone measurements
– Visiting Norwich
– Photography

Dream further
[Training period- 02/09/2016, Cambridge – 52.212°/0.078°]
– Dream further
– Norfolk coast run-hike
– Met training
– Time-lapse

Training, training, training
[Training period- 26/08/2016, Cambridge – 52.212°/0.078°]
– Weekend in Cambridge
– Practical presentations
– Hamburg
– Radards
– Space-suit

Farewell and welcome:
[Training period- 19/08/2016, Cambridge – 52.212°/0.078°]
– Moving to Cambridge
– First day at BAS
– Scientific Lectures
– What’s next