Week 27 at the Pole

Two people in parkas kicking a soccer ball in front of the IceCube Lab, in the dark under a starry sky.
Camille Parisel, IceCube/NSF

Action shot! In honor of the FIFA World Cup, IceCube winterovers Alicia and Camille ventured outside to play soccer—in the dark. Apparently the soccer balls weren’t too happy in the extreme cold, but the winterovers were treated to a nice starry sky while they played. The improved weather conditions allowed them to host the open house at the IceCube Lab that they had postponed in the previous week. Other aspects of last week contributed to a colorful vibe, including a collage of shared midwinter greetings, ripening peppers in the greenhouse, and a group photo with everyone wearing tie-dyed t-shirts in memory of a former longtime winterover.

Group photo at IceCube Lab open house.
Alicia Fattorini, IceCube/NSF
Collage of printed greetings from other Antarctic stations adorning a wall.
Camille Parisel, IceCube/NSF
Close-up of long peppers on a plant.
Camille Parisel, IceCube/NSF
Group photo in stairwell of station members all wearing tie-dyed shirts.
Luke Longren, NSF