The time has come for our current winterovers, Ilya and Joe, to pass the torch to the new winterovers that arrived at the South Pole last week. As a winterover, individuals brave the unforgiving environment to spend a year—sometimes longer—at the South Pole, half of which is enveloped in complete darkness. Every year, two winterovers are selected and sent to the South Pole to operate and maintain the IceCube detector.
This year, we are delighted to welcome IceCube’s two new winterovers for the 2025–2026 season, Alicia Fattorini and Camille Parisel! Their journey to the Pole started with mandatory training at Madison, Wisconsin, before flying to Christchurch, New Zealand, and continuing on to McMurdo Station, the main U.S. Antarctic facility, which serves as a gateway for all personnel destined to the Pole. After a brief stay at McMurdo, their final stop was the South Pole, where they spent a week training with Ilya and Joe before relieving them of their duties. Next up for Ilya and Joe is a well-deserved trip back home.
Read the Q&A below to get to know our new winterovers!
Alicia Fattorini
Hometown: Muenster, Germany.
Job and institution before this one: Postdoctoral researcher at Technische Universität Dortmund working with IceCube.
Hobbies: Trying new hobbies! I’m interested in everything. At the moment it is juggling, bouldering, reading, playing the guitar, playing games, and dancing.
How many continents have you been to (not counting Antarctica)? Three (Europe, North America, South America).
Why did you apply for this opportunity? I love adventures and social experiments, and I think this [job] is the best combination of both. I’ve done shifts for MAGIC before which, although not the same, it was similar to being isolated and being in extreme conditions. I really loved working there and so I looked for something even more exciting.
What do you expect life to be like at the Pole? Somewhere between exciting and quiet. We have a lot of work to do because of the IceCube Upgrade. As soon as everything calms down a bit, we will probably have some free time to do other activities.
What are you most looking forward to doing at the South Pole? I am looking forward to meeting the other winterovers and getting to know everyone.
Least looking forward to? It’s the first time that I am away from home for a while. Of course before, I always had the opportunity to go back home, so I am curious how this will affect me. And I will miss the fruits and vegetables (the good ones).
What do you think you will miss the most about living up north? Food, greenery, and the Sun after a while.
What is one goal you have for your time at the South Pole? Learning the handstand!
Camille Parisel
Hometown: Nance, France.
Job and institution before this one: Research engineer at CNRS working on the camera for the Vera Rubin Observatory.
Hobbies: Board games, competitive programming, enjoying a beer with friends, reading.
How many continents have you been to (not counting Antarctica)? Four (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America).
Why did you apply for this opportunity? For me, it will be my third time wintering over and second time for IceCube. I am really, really happy that this was the right moment for me to apply again. The very first time I applied to be a winterover at IceCube, I thought it was the closest thing to going to Mars, which was my dream as a child.
What do you expect life to be like at the Pole? I kind of know what life will be like at the Pole, but since I started training this year, I learned that so many things have changed, and so I am excited to see the little differences. There are so many activities at the station that I think time will go by very quickly.
What are you most looking forward to doing at the South Pole? Stargazing because it’s incredible. I want to be part of the greenhouse team and also work in the kitchen so I can make pastries for everybody.
Least looking forward to? The lack of freshies. That’s why I am putting so much hope into the greenhouse!
What do you think you will miss the most about living up north? Families, trees, wildlife.
What is one goal you have for your time at the South Pole? Finish (not win) The Race Around the World!