Summit Station Turnover Update

Big House, Summit Station, Greenland

We are very pleased to write that a second Twin Otter flight, delayed for several days due to weather, flew to Summit Station today, picked up its passengers, and departed for Iceland. The Phase III staff is now home alone for the next two months. No slapstick violence though, okay guys?

Comments (0) Feb 16 2012

One down, one to go

A quick stop on the roof of the world to drop off the last bit of science cargo, pick up the outgoing Summit staff and refuel the Twin Otter, and the Norlandair crew headed to Kangerlussuaq. Photo: Katrine Gorham

The first of two ‘take out’ flights departed Summit Station for Kangerlussuaq on Saturday, carrying the five-person, November-to-February winter crew with it. A second flight scheduled for today was canceled due to weather in Kangerlussuaq. “There is a big front moving in from the south, and the pilots are concerned about icing conditions,” wrote Tracy Sheeley, CPS operations manager for the station. As a result of the cancellation, Tracy and Katrine Gorham, our science projects manager, remain at Summit, the NSF-funded research station with our new five-person staff.

We’re delighted that our winter crew got out on time, and will keep you posted on the take-out. Stay tuned!–Kip Rithner

If you're happy and you know it, pose for a picture! Many thanks to our Phase II Summit winter crew, which is off to warmer climes and lower latitides. Photo: Katrine Gorham

Comments (0) Feb 12 2012

“The toughest of the tough”

Under a blue sky and amidst a cheering throng, the 2012 Yukon Quest began in Fairbanks over the weekend. Photo: Faustine Mercer

The mother of all dog-sled races started this year in Fairbanks, where our Alaska staff lives. We get to watch over the shoulder of our Fairbanks team, all of whom know many of the mushers and their four-legged friends very, very well.

“Super weekend,” wrote Dana Moudra-Truffer, an Alaska science projects manager. “After the fifth coldest January on record, hordes of people showed up at the starting line of the Yukon Quest 1000-mile dog race on the river in downtown Fairbanks with temperatures a balmy -19F. Way cool to see all these people, including many, many that we knew.”

A team waits for its chance to get on the trail. Photo: Faustine Bernadac

Christie Haupert, our own extreme supergirl sportswoman, wrote about the Yukon Quest from her vantage point as a Fairbanksan and an accomplished wilderness athlete.

“Over the past 2 years I have developed a few friendships with people deeply involved in the race and so this time of year is really special. My connection to the race affords me the opportunity to see and hear the race through the perspective of the musher, the news reporter, the handler and the checkpoint volunteer. The race has grown its online presence and now anyone can not only see the dogs and the mushers along the trail, but now they can track them online with their SPOT beacons and read other fan comments, on Facebook. A special addition to the site for this year has been on-the-trail mushing reports from armchair musher Sebastian Schnulle, a former veteran YQ musher, who knows this race inside and out. The weather has thus far been nearly a non-issue. Reports are of warm bluebird days and crystal clear nights illuminated with a full moon and a dancing aurora. I can only imagine how incredibly peaceful and awesome it is to be out there all night long right now. I hope Brent Sass wins: it’s his year. Brent is a great story in itself—he will be highlighted, for sure. Year after year the YQ unfolds amazing drama, great characters—both human and dog, and a race that requires some of the tough of the tough to step up and be even tougher. And it’s only half over…I love it!”

Here’s the main Yukon Quest page: http://www.yukonquest.com/

With the right footwear, one can do anything. Go Yukon Quest! Photo: Faustine Bernadac

Comments (0) Feb 07 2012

A Norland Air Twin Otter arrives somewhere cold where light is tinged with pearly dawn. Photo: Kalli Eiriks http://www.norlandair.is/en/home

A Norland Air Twin Otter arrived at Summit Station around noon today (Summit time) after a one-day delay due to weather. This completes the put-in of people and supplies needed to prepare a new five-person team to operate the station from mid-February until mid-April.

“We are orienting and acclimating,” Tracy Sheeley (Summit operations manager) wrote in an email a little while ago.  “Happy to have the group all together at last…we had Team Iceland, Team Kanger, and now -  TEAM SUMMIT!”

The group will be busy with transition activities for the next week. To learn more about some of these, read this post:

http://www.polarfield.com/blog/summit-turnover/

Comments (0) Feb 04 2012

Staff return to Summit Station's Big House during a spring storm. Photo: Katrine Gorham

Due to high winds and low visibility on the ice sheet, a scheduled flight to Summit Station, Greenland, has been cancelled today. The flight would have brought additional personnel and supplies to the outpost to prepare for the busy summer research period. An advance team arrived on Thursday and has begun turnover with the staff of five who have been maintaining ongoing experiments since early November.

Saturday’s forecast calls for improving conditions, though continued high winds may keep the staff grounded in Kangerlussuaq for another day. Stay tuned.

Comments (0) Feb 03 2012