With record-breaking winds last week, the South Pole station spent a few days in lockdown mode, restricting off-station travel to critical operations only. Staying indoors might put a halt to outdoor photography plans, but it doesn’t hamper fun activities held indoors. Last week, the station had a burger bar (that’s IceCube winterover Kalvin, above, whipping up a batch of curly fries) and gathered for a showing of “Rocky Horror,” because…well, why not? As midwinter approaches, the station is also spending time reviewing emergency action plans. For emergency communications, the station has ham radio equipment, and Kalvin is among the crew with technician’s licences who are in charge of handling communications in the case of a catastrophic crisis on station.
