It’s a Hercules C-130. Super impressive. The plane is a Hercules C-130. You enter the plane through the back. You sit in the longitudinal seats next to eachother. And then it’s departure for a seven-hour trip without toilets, with a little snack, a lot of sound around you—just sitting until you see, for the first time, a bit of Antarctica.
These ice shelves are visible from your little windows. When you first step outside, you’ll see ice all around. This is a completely new environment to you. Sometimes it feels like you’re on another planet.
We were to stay there for one day. There was an Italian station. We quickly discovered that the French word for “station” is en Antarctique pas de pronostiqueThe weather in Antarctica is unpredictable, so there’s no forecast. Instead of staying just one night, our stay was almost a whole week.
The station was built for logistical purposes only. People are not allowed to stay there, as it isn’t designed to be a place of residence. The people who work there are facing a logistical challenge, and they want us out as soon as possible. You can’t fly inland because the weather is unpredictable. Wait until the weather has stabilized and the pilot announces, “I’m Ready to Fly,” because the pilot is in charge.
I had the same data problem as before and was trying to connect to internet. There, it was like the internet of the ’90s—you know, Beep, beep, beep. After logging in for maybe two to three hours on one computer I finally got to the point where it said: “OK, now I’m going log in to your Account so that you can download all your stuff. Please provide me with your phone number. “I’ll send you an SMS for logging in.” It was the double confirmation, but it didn’t work, because there’s obviously no phone service. Double verification prevented me from gaining access to my data.
Finally, we took an airplane. The plane is a Basler BT-67 that originates from Canada. This plane will fly in Antarctica for a season and then return to Canada. The plane ride lasted four hours. This is a non-pressurized aircraft. As it is minus 30 Celsius in Concordia you need to make sure that all of your clothes are on. We were very afraid.
The first thing I noticed after landing on Concordia was a feeling of vertigo. It was a surprise to me that I felt a slight altitude when I first arrived. You arrive at Concordia after four hours of flying in a small plane where all you see is white and nothing else.
The station is visible from afar. That station seems so small because there’s literally nothing around it—no mountains, nothing. You have this tiny station. boulot dans l’estomac“Wow, I’m going to live there for an entire year,” you know. We arrived at Concordia Station, where the crew, who had just finished a year in the station and were leaving it, was waiting for us. They welcomed us warmly. We were afraid of getting high-altitude sick, so they got us into the station. They want to be sure that no one is carrying heavy items and we are not exercising. They told me to stay calm over the next few days.
Each tower has 18 faces. The station is mainly white with a bit of orange. You enter the tunnel that runs between the two towers. You remove your shoes and leave your belongings there. It’s quite small. On the left you will find the “calm-tower.” You will find the dormitories, laboratories and hospital inside. The building has three levels. The upper floor has laboratories, while the middle floor houses dormitories. To keep the tower calm, it’s called “calm Tower”. We then go to the tower on the left side of the entrance. This tower has all the technical stuff. The video room and sports room are located on the second floor. The top floor has the living area, dining area and kitchen.
Within five minutes you can have a tour of your home. It’s impressive because it makes you think “Someone must have built this in the middle a nowhere.” Someone had to start the process. It’s just amazing. Many people arrive in Antarctica without anything. We have this wonderful building that protects us from the harsh environment.
It’s a surreal experience to be in Antarctica. You’ve likely seen many pictures and read many books about Antarctica. But you haven’t been to the heart of Antarctica. It’s quite different. There’s no life—no birds, no trees—there’s literally nothing, nothing but ice and wind.
This story was originally published on WIRED.
