Last week was the annual Polympics—just like the real Olympics, only … very different. At the South Pole, they compete in nonstandard events, where sometimes the rules are arbitrary and people argue about them. (It adds to the fun!) This year, there was the traditional sled pull, in which three team members pull a fourth member on a sled between the geographic and ceremonial poles. But there were other, more familiar events, like dodgeball, rock climbing, and table tennis. Of course there were also medals, and IceCube’s winterovers garnered a few, including a bronze in cornhole doubles!
As if the Polympics weren’t enough excitement, last week marked the Christmas in July celebration that the South Pole traditionally holds. It also happened to coincide with Josh’s birthday, so the yule log cake served double duty. The festivities included a Secret Santa exchange, where typically the gifts are handmade, and people put a lot of work into them. Such was the case for the gift IceCube winterover Martin Wolf received—check it out.
