Live from Antarctica: Arrival and First Day on Site

We had beautiful weather, although there was a slight wind. We had to fly over the site four times before we found a landing site. In the end, we decided to use last year's runway, except we approached in the opposite direction, with our backs to the station. We were tossed around a little, but the landing went well.

I still found it amazing to climb out of the plane and (re-)discover this unique landscape, which had been swept winds for about eight months since we left at the end of last season. And then there's the absolute silence.

We immediately pulled out the two skidoos that were in one of the containers. They started up rather easily after we warmed up the batteries for fifteen minutes. As we approached the station, the ambient light was beautiful. It was an emotional moment for the "old members," while the newcomers were amazed. Four petrels flew overhead to welcome us.

The doors to the garage were covered with a considerable amount of snow - as high as the roof in fact.

We entered the station via the tower door. The temperature inside seemed like it could have been above freezing, although it was probably below zero (Celsius). The diesel generators started up straight away and all the lights in the station came on.

It was remarkable to find the kitchen and the office as they were, practically ready for use. Bernard got down to his favourite past time and started up the Janine. Michel set up the Inmarsat antenna, which worked immediately with no problem. Alain had a look around to make sure that everything was in order, appreciating all the work that had been done during the previous season.

After Kristof and Jesko got the bulldozer that had been left outside since last season started, Julien started clearing away the snow that had accumulated in front of the garage doors. There was a lot of frozen snow to get rid of, and it took him a long time to finish.

François found the kitchen and got started on dinner. We had nice, hot soup and bread from last season that we defrosted in the oven.

Around midnight we decided to go to sleep in the station. Each person chose his own place to sleep: the future kitchen for some, and the future bathroom for others. There were fourteen of us spread out over the 400m2 of the station's interior, so it was pretty comfortable.

By the time we had almost warmed up, we were so tired from the day that it wasn't long before we were in dreamland.

On Wednesday morning we started putting the kitchen in order - finding the utensils and stocking the pantry - while Julien continued to clear away snow outside and the mechanics serviced the vehicles.

Around 2 pm, we opened the newly liberated garage doors. The light of day fell inside, revealing the Prinoth tractors that we would be a big help in clearing away more snow. It was easier for everyone to access the station and look for snow that we could melt into drinking water.

Alain examined the premises more thoroughly and drafted the work plan for the coming days.

Today we had near white-out conditions outside. Visibility was very low, with snow falling gently yet steadily throughout the day.

Today was the first day we had a chance as a team to have a look over this season's workload.

Tomorrow the forecast calls for sunny skies, so it will be full steam ahead as we start tackling the most urgent tasks.

Today we set up base camp, prepared the runway for the next flight expected to arrive in two or three days, and cleared paths between the station, the base camp, the runway and the container depot. We also continued clearing away snow from in front of the garage doors.

The 2008-09 season has begun, and we're ready to face the challenges ahead.

Until tomorrow...

Nathalie Pattyn