27 November 2009 Snowmobile training

Journal

Last journal I was looking forward to snowmobile training! ohh yeahh! Oh well, it was just a few of us standing around a snowmobile while the trainer basically told us how not to wreck the engine or get ourselves killed. No snowmobile riding at all! I personally believe in the power of hands-on teaching as much as possible... this is no way to give a snowmobile class!

But, that afternoon it turns out, we needed to transport some material around. So, now that I was "trained," I got to drive a snowmobile for the first time!

O'Hara on a snowmobile! — I'm on a snowmobile! Note: if you look closely, you will notice no motion blur, and no snow getting kicked up. I had already parked the snowmobile, but I was making motorboat noises to pretend like we were going fast for the picture.

A little aside here: during the Bush administration, there was a lot of talk about snowmobile traffic in Yellowstone National Park. People wanted them banned from the park, other people said no way, and I don't know if it's even been resolved yet. I fell firmly into the "get rid of them" camp, for several reasons.

First, they are terribly polluting. Snowmobiles generally have two-stroke engines, compared to an automobile's four-stroke engine. Two-strokes are great for compact power, but dump huge amounts of pollution, including unburned oil and fuel, into the atmosphere, and in the case of ski boats and jet skis, into our lakes and rivers
Second, they are loud and intrusive! Imagine walking through Yellowstone's beautiful scenery, enjoying a lovely winter hike, when all of a sudden this roar of engines scares off all the wildlife and shatters the peace. Yellowstone and other national parks remain beautiful BECAUSE there are no machines and very few people to mess it up! That said, if ever there was a place for these polluting machines, it is the South Pole. Walking is certainly an option; the walk out to drill camp is about 15 minutes from the station, very doable.

Now that I'm mostly used to the altitude, I enjoy walking the kilometer or so out to drill camp. Wearing all the Extreme Cold Weather gear, I actually start to feel too warm! This view looks across the skiway (airplane runway) towards MAPO and the 10-meter telescope. Note the yellow warning signs, and the red light that flashes when a plane is coming - you have to wait to cross until it's safe.

But, for hauling cargo and people quickly and efficiently, snowmobiles are imperative! in the past week, we've hauled DOMs, junction boxes, cables, and other equipment all over the place for IceCube.

The most common way for people to go from SPS out to drill camp, and back. This type of sled, on raised runners, is ominously called a "cadaver" sled. I don't want to know the story.

Sometimes, a cadaver sled is not available - here a passenger is catching a ride on the red cargo sleds. Not nearly as comfortable (and probably less safe, and certainly more exhaust fumes!)

There are many other machines down here that transport larger loads of cargo, equipment, and people; here are some more photos.

Heavy machinery is pretty common around South Pole Station - there is always something under construction, or needing to be moved. This forklift is moving a IceTop tank to put it into its final resting position, where it will be filled with DOMs and ice.

Another type of cargo hauling vehicle.

Big machinery is used to move massive mounds of snow, clear trenches for installation of IceTop sensors, and whatnot.

And despite my disdain for snowmobiles as recreational vehicles, I have to admit: they're hella fun to drive...