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well, not the tourists. They pay handsomely. there's a tourist camp just next to South Pole Station. When I was at Pole in summer '19-20 the tourist camp staff

by cozzyd 3y ago

well, not the tourists. They pay handsomely. there's a tourist camp just next to South Pole Station. When I was at Pole in summer '19-20 the tourist camp staff invited us over for Christmas (when I guess they had no tourists). The awkward thing is that the research station is supported out of McMurdo which is supported out of Christchurch, so follows NZ time, but the tourist camp is supported out of Punta Arenas, so follows Chilean time... I met some of the tourists on New Year's during the ceremony where the geographical pole marker is moved (the ice moves a bit every year, so the pole marker has to be moved relative to the station so that it remains over the real pole). One guy apparently had kept applying to be a winterover for some experiments and wasn't selected so he just paid to go visit Pole anyway. And then there are the adventurers, who randomly show up on skis or in an Arctic Truck..

alistairSH 3y ago
And then there are the adventurers, who randomly show up on skis or in an Arctic Truck. Really? That's a bit of a surprise (the random part). Like, if you have the means, you can charter a ship out of Christchurch, sail to Antartica, and go skiing without permits or notifying any of the bases? Wild.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- mschuster91 3y ago
  Given how remote the area is... if you end up with issues and don't have a permit, you'll most likely die.
rqtwteye 3y ago
“And then there are the adventurers, who randomly show up on skis or in an Arctic Truck..” That’s an interesting point. A while ago I had a discussion with a flat earther who claimed that the military won’t allow anyone close to Antarctica. I told him I am pretty sure that people have crossed Antarctica by foot or even bicycle (heard this on a podcast). But I wasn’t sure how the permit process works and if there are limitations. I know flat earth is stupid but it’s a good exercise to refute these people with knowledge you have. Turns out this is quite difficult because often you have only very vague knowledge of the details.
- shortcake27 3y ago
  If you engage with a flat earther you have already lost. Anyone who genuinely believes in a flat earth has closed off their mind to information that refutes their beliefs. If their mind were open, they wouldn’t believe in a flat earth.
- CuriousCosmic 3y ago
  > even bicycle Yep there have been a few of these [1]. The first trip to the south pole by cycling however was actually by tricycle by a researcher[2] who was riding alongside the South Pole Traverse[3] which is a tractor + sled motorcade for hauling cargo and supplies to and from the south pole station. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Antarctic_cycling_expeditions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Antarctic_cycling_expe... 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Leijerstam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Leijerstam 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pole_Traverse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pole_Traverse

by cozzyd 3y ago

alistairSH 3y ago

And then there are the adventurers, who randomly show up on skis or in an Arctic Truck. Really? That's a bit of a surprise (the random part). Like, if you have the means, you can charter a ship out of Christchurch, sail to Antartica, and go skiing without permits or notifying any of the bases? Wild.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
mschuster91 3y ago
Given how remote the area is... if you end up with issues and don't have a permit, you'll most likely die.

rqtwteye 3y ago

“And then there are the adventurers, who randomly show up on skis or in an Arctic Truck..” That’s an interesting point. A while ago I had a discussion with a flat earther who claimed that the military won’t allow anyone close to Antarctica. I told him I am pretty sure that people have crossed Antarctica by foot or even bicycle (heard this on a podcast). But I wasn’t sure how the permit process works and if there are limitations. I know flat earth is stupid but it’s a good exercise to refute these people with knowledge you have. Turns out this is quite difficult because often you have only very vague knowledge of the details.

shortcake27 3y ago
If you engage with a flat earther you have already lost. Anyone who genuinely believes in a flat earth has closed off their mind to information that refutes their beliefs. If their mind were open, they wouldn’t believe in a flat earth.
CuriousCosmic 3y ago
> even bicycle Yep there have been a few of these [1]. The first trip to the south pole by cycling however was actually by tricycle by a researcher[2] who was riding alongside the South Pole Traverse[3] which is a tractor + sled motorcade for hauling cargo and supplies to and from the south pole station. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Antarctic_cycling_expeditions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Antarctic_cycling_expe... 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Leijerstam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Leijerstam 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pole_Traverse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pole_Traverse