Field Training and The Framnes mountains - Part 1 (part 1 of 4)
Sunday 28th Nov 99

Hello everybody,

Well there goes another action packed week ! Why ? because I spent 3 great days up on the Antarctic Plateau behind Mawson station amongst the Framnes Mountains doing my compulsory field training.

Every expeditioner who stays at an Australian Base in Antarctica must undergo field training so that they can safely work and travel in areas outside the station limits. Field Training covers the follow areas :-

• Trip preparation and planning
• Navigation using map/compass, GPS and radar.
• Packing and selecting the required field equipment for survival in different areas, e.g. when travelling across sea ice and
  crevassed areas.
• Radio communication procedures using VHF and HF radios
• Using and maintaining field huts
• Crevasse rescue, rope and pulley techniques,
• Using crampons, recognising crevasses, and other hazards like wind scours, cornices and the edges of ice cliffs.
• Survival in blizzard and whiteout conditions.
• The dangers of travelling across sea ice and how to rescue people after they have "punching through" the ice.
• Safe travelling across sea and plateau ice on Quads and Hagglunds.
• Setting up and using ice anchors.

For my field training, I would be travelling with 4 other expeditioners, Leighton (summer sparky), Roger (summer tide gauge), Bob (summer plumber) and the Field Training Officer (FTO), Matt. After spending a good 3 hours preparing and planning the trip then packing the vehicles we headed off to a field hut below "Rumdoodle Peak" in the Northern Masson range, approximately 25 km south of Mawson on the Antarctic Plateau. Our party consisted of one "Blue" Hagg and two Quads which Leighton and I rode. See photo above of Leighton waiting in a Quad for the Blue Hagg to catch up.

Immediately behind the station is a large ice slope called "Gwamm" (for reasons I have not been able to find out), and every trip onto the Antarctic Plateau from the station must travel up there because it is the only safe route free of crevasses onto the Plateau. At this time of year, the snow on the surface of Gwamm melts and leaves a smooth blue ice surface, which in places is inclined at an angle of approximately 30 degrees. The Hagglunds are designed for travelling on snow, and lose grip on ice very easily - especially if it is inclined!. So as we headed up Gwamm, the Hagg spent a lot of time at full throttle - but only moving at 1cm per second. The Quads have a much easier time on ice, so Leighton and I headed off ahead and arranged to meet the Hagg at a rendezvous point further along the drum line.

Kym enjoying the view from the Quad, with Mt Henderson in the background

As you can see from the photos, the weather was excellent, no clouds, only a little wind and plenty of sun! If you thought that the sun in Australia is bright and burns easily, then Antarctica is much worse since a very large proportion of light is reflected
off the snow and the ozone layer is much thinner which lets in more ultra-violet light than at other latitudes. Strong sunglasses are mandatory - as without them you can be easily blinded. When the sun is bright, I can rarely leave my glasses off for more than 2 minutes without beginning to feel pain in my eyes. Also, you must pile on the sunscreen - SPF30+, every few hours all over your exposed skin, and even up your nose to stop the sunlight reflected off the snow burning the inside of your nose!.

Email continues in part 2