In our ice core camps we normally have a Saturday dinner party and a late start Sunday, to mark the end of the week and get a bit of rest. But with a snow storm forecast for Monday, we had to skip this tradition and keep doing out best to get camp fully operational. Also, all items in camp had to be secured before the storm. Hence, we decided to continue working as normal, and an impressive number of tasks has been accomplished meaning that we now live in a camp with running water, central heating, functioning toilets, a washing machine and dryer, and for a few hours also a dishwasher – unfortunately wear and tear on a hose, means it is leaking and thus out of commission until we get a spare hose. While Sverrir, Thomas and Sepp was accomplishing all this, JP finished a first grooming of the skiway, apron and taxiways and even started on the second round before the contrast got to poor, and he instead started the big task of raising markers, starting with the apron. In the mechanics garage, Carlos and Jonathan managed to clean up the inside from piles of snow that has leaked in during the winter, and then went on to excavate a pallet outside that had contained our big snow melters. In the dome Bo is getting organized in the cupola, changing one radio, and getting oriented calculating distances to skiway markers to be able to report visibility etc. In the kitchen Anders prepared great meals for us, including a Saturday desert and a Sunday birthday cake for the celebration of Carlos birthday. The delicious cake was made from cake layers and macrones from Bo’s “secret stash” with a Greek yoghurt-based cream and even a birthday greeting in Spanish on top!
What we did during the weekend:
- Changed dome heating to generator waste heat.
- Moved both cooks’ water melter and main water melter to the dome
- Connected drinking water to dome taps (one tap was broken)
- Connected main water to bathroom, washing machine and dishwaher.
- Repaired dishwasher leak, but unfortunately only temporarily.
- Finished grooming skiway and apron a first time, started a second groom.
- Raised flags on apron.
- Cleared snow out of mechanic’s garage
- Serviced 3rd Pistenbully, but needs sparepart to get operational.
- Secured camp before upcoming storm.
- Celebrated Carlos birthday (instruments: Guitar, Drums and harmonica)
Weather during the weekend: Temp increasing from to -20C to -11C, Sunny Saturday, with increasing cloudiness and some intermittent snowfall Sunday. Wind 4-14kts turning from west to south Saturday, and then to north and picking up to 20kts by midnight Sunday.
FL, Bo Vinther
