To volunteer to go to the ends of the earth in the name of science, you need to be a special person. But that is exactly what a bunch of people do every summer (in the southern hemisphere at this time it is winter) at the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the coldest and driest place on the globe, and our South Pole is among the most forgotten places. Those living at the Amundsen-Scott polar station during the winter experience a time of adventure, isolation and the very experience that very few people have. Living at the South Pole is difficult, but very interesting. Where else can you find …
One sunrise and one sunset per year
Due to the unique location of the South Pole at the very bottom of the globe, the sun is visible there like nowhere else. It is at the ends of the Earth that you can watch the longest sunset.
Due to the tilt of the planet's axis, the South Pole experiences one sunset and one sunrise per year. These two phenomena take many days to replace, so lovers of looking at the Sun will have something to see, in every sense.
No watch needed
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If you work outdoors, you won't need a watch. When the sun finally rises, it will gradually rise until mid-summer and then slowly descend towards the horizon.
While the luminous ball is crawling across the sky, illuminating it 24/7, it will be very easy to understand the time of day. When a luminary is at a certain building or identification mark at a certain time, it will appear there every day at the same time. If it's lunchtime when the sun is over the meteorological probe object, you can head to the cafeteria whenever that happens.
A dizzying journey
Upon arrival at the South Pole, you will find that walking there is not that difficult. The ice is well compressed and crystallized, forming a non-slippery surface. Antarctica is the same everywhere, apart from altitude.
The South Pole lies on a 3,000-meter plate of ice, and the newcomers find themselves about 3 kilometers above sea level. There are no elevators, so whenever your luggage has to be lifted 15 meters, they will sternly remind you of a hill.
Sleepiness can be a problem
Your body will eventually acclimate to the altitude, but physiologically, the climb will be even harder to bear due to an atmospheric phenomenon that can only be found at the poles. When the barometric pressure drops, the air becomes denser, just like everywhere else on Earth. Our planet rotates on its axis, creating centrifugal force. This force pulls the atmosphere towards the equator, "lowering" the sky at the poles.
As the heavens fall, the air becomes thinner, making the height of the South Pole greater than it really is. Since residents live at 3,000 meters above sea level, the extra 600 meters can cause the drowsiness climbers experience when climbing.
In a trap
Although the South Pole research stations are buzzing with scientific activity during the short summer seasons, only a small team of 50 people remain there for the winter. These brave souls are isolated at the bottom of the planet, from the moment the last plane departed in mid-February until the next one returned in late October or early November.
Regardless of illness and madness, people have to remain trapped, since the cold temperatures in winter will surely freeze aircraft fuel, making any departure impossible.
Sad month
For those who dare to lay themselves down in the name of science, the winter will be long. After sunsets several days long and a month of twilight, night reigns for several months. Some suffer from seasonal affective disorder, but more often than not, work, life, and creativity in close contact with the same 50 people over the course of weeks is the worst.
Such conditions will make anyone capricious, and even the most cheerful come out with a sour expression when winter ends. Most of the time this happens around August. Although everyone is influenced differently, seeing the same faces in the endless darkness is annoying.
Undressing with friends
Although temperatures are brutally cold and even deadly without the right equipment, the thermometer rarely drops below -73 degrees Celsius. But when this happens, local residents have the opportunity to join one of the most exclusive fraternities on the planet: the 300 Club.
They gather naked in the research station's sauna and heat it to 93 degrees Celsius (200 Fahrenheit). And when everyone is already good, wet and hot, they put on only their boots and jump out to the mark of the geographic South Pole. Leaving the sauna to the mark entails a temperature change of 300 degrees (Fahrenheit) and a beautiful naked shot, with a thin layer of silvery frozen sweat, right next to the historic South Pole.
When the earth wears
The South Pole lies on a 3 km thick ice sheet. And when the ice is on top, it tends to slide … slide a lot. Although the real geographic South Pole is not moving, the mark and buildings above it are still as much as 2.5 centimeters a day. Everything relative to the pole is shifted by 9 meters per year.
Surveyors pinpoint the exact location of the South Pole, and the pole mark moves annually to compensate for the long slow slide.
Run around the whole world
Running is a great way to stay in shape, but running in the cold can burn your lungs great. Yet few can resist the temptation to be able to boast that they have literally run around the world. At the South Pole, this will take about 20 steps.
To put runners on fair terms, the station hosts an annual race. The route goes around the pole mark in a loop, allowing the participants to say absolutely honestly that they have really run around the whole world.
New year and again and again and again
The time zones are separated by 15 degrees of longitude. These degrees are most divided at the equator - about 111 kilometers between them. From the equator, they go north and south, gradually reducing the distance between them, until all 24 converge at the poles. Living at the South Pole, people have the ability to move from one time zone to another in a few steps.
In the New Year, this takes on a special scope. Polar inhabitants can celebrate the New Year in every time zone of the Earth by simply moving their feet. Only the strongest can survive the 24-hour celebration.
Ilya Khel