Thursday, February 16, 2012

Trans-Antarctic Mountain Range - 1

Enjoy some pictures of the Trans-Antarctic Range peaks and glaciers from the New York Air National Guard LC-130 windows.  Taken in early November, 2010, these photos were from the first flight out of Pole after the 2010 winter, and most of the 2010 winter-over crew were aboard and on their way to McMurdo and then to New Zealand.  As magnificent as these views are, it felt strange to be looking at these wide open spaces after being cooped up inside the Amundsen Scott Station for the previous ten months.
















By 90Below at 12:50 PM

2 comments:

matty123mcguire said...

Hi,
I stumbled on your blog looking for an opportunity to experience what you write so fondly about. I've been interested in seeking a position to work in Antarctica for years and have finally decided to make three leap but i'm finding it difficult to find the proper channels to go through. If it is not to troubling I was hoping to pick your brain. My email is matty123mcguire@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you. Thank you -Matt

April 15, 2012 at 10:39 PM
J. Reaves said...

Matt,
I'm not surprised you are finding it difficult. Finding Antarctic jobs right now is very confusing, even for seasoned hands. The support contract just changed in early 2012 to the new contractor (Lockheed Martin) after 12 years with Raytheon Polar Service Company and no one knows the new hiring system yet. Things should be easier next year. Jobs have normally been posted in the first quarter of the year, so you have missed the prime recruiting period for the upcoming season. But see what is available anyway at the sites below... jobs have a habit of opening up at any time throughout the year. Other companies hiring are PAE (Pacific Architects and Engineers), ESS and GSC (all subcontractors to Lockheed).

The best place to gain employment advice right now is a site called Antarctic Memories. There is a wealth of information and tips about working in Antarctica for the USAP.

http://antarcticmemories.thruhere.net/

The Antarctic contract is currently held by Lockheed Martin and you can try their jobs website:

http://www.lockheedmartinjobs.com/index.aspx

Type in ASC in the search to find current Antarctic jobs. Right now (mid-April) there aren't very many listed since the hiring process is well advanced for next austral summer season (October - Jan).

If you have janitorial or kitchen jobs in mind, then ESS and GSC will be filling those positions.

http://www.essalaska.com/opportunities.htm

Some engineering and and equipment operator jobs are being hired by PAE:

http://aq.indeed.com/Pae-jobs-in-Antarctica

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An excellent place to find out general news of Antarctica and quite a bit of history is the very unofficial South Pole Station website:

http://www.southpolestation.com/

And the USAP itself has an Antarctic web page at

http://www.usap.gov/

Good luck, you picked the most confusing time in the past 12 years to look for work in Antarctica, but its worth it.

April 16, 2012 at 7:16 AM

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