It’s official, everybody!

    After a long year of waiting, the Velvet Ice project is back on!!

    Last year during the government shutdown, most of the scientists and staff were evacuated out of Antarctica, and WAIS Divide was closed down for the winter.

    Leaving Antarctica during the shutdown.
    Scientists and staff are lined up to board flights during the US Government "Shutdown" in 2013.

    As a result, our research project was pushed back by a year.

    Now, after all these months of waiting, we finally got our expedition dates. I will be leaving Chicago on December 1, 2015! The countdown begins now!!

    Countdown Clock

    That leaves me just about two months to get ready... and there is a lot to do!

    Over the next few weeks, I will be posting more information about the necessary training for Antarctic deployment, including the physical, academic, logistical, and even spiritual preparations to undergo before I hit the ice.

    Stay tuned!

    Author
    Date
    Location
    Home
    Weather Summary
    Overcast and getting cold!
    Temperature
    36F
    Wind Speed
    2mph

    Comments

    Raj Kumar/Ssac…

    Yamini. That day of departure is almost here. We both wish you Godspeed on your adventure of a lifetime away from all civilization. Go girl! You are one of the very few we know who can shine in this adventure. Love. Aunty/Uncle

    Rama Raghuraman

    Have an exciting and a safe trip Yamini! We are all extremely proud of you! Good luck and best wishes to you and your team.Lots of love
    Raghuramans

    Zoraida Rivera-Tañón

    YAMINI!!!!... Wishing you the best in your research trip. Enjoy every moment of it. Keep me post it in your progress. Abrazos, Zoraida

    pat Ramakrishnan

    Would like to read about your experiences in Antartica

    Yamini

    That is great, Pat. I hope you've been able to follow along with the expedition through the journals!

    Siva Paturi

    Hi Yamini-
    This is Siva from South India. First of all congratulations to you and the rest of the team. Its an incredible achievement indeed to go on an expedition like this. I was curious about how you guys trained both physically and mentally to spend a long month out there in ice and extreme cold weather.
    Thanks,
    Siva

    Yamini Bala

    Hi Siva,Thanks for your encouragement and your question! Please check out the latest journal -- 10/15/2014: Let's Get Physical! -- where I talk about the physical training regimen I've started. I will post more about the other types of preparation we go through soon. Please check back in the upcoming weeks for more information.
    Thanks!
    Yamini

    Yamini Bala

    Yes! I'm super excited and counting down the days till we hit the ice!Thanks, Janet!

    Janet Warburton

    We are excited that the team will be heading to Antarctica soon! It's been a very long year but we can hardly wait to learn more about the Velvet Ice project and see you in Antarctica. Are you getting excited?
    Janet