Week 32 at the Pole

glowing igloo
Hamish Wright, NSF

The igloo—the prime attraction at the South Pole for the last few weeks—is no more. But before “disappearing,” its existence was memorialized in some final photos. Above, you can see it with the names of its builders carved into the side, and it appears to almost glow from the soft white light from within. The next image shows IceCube’s winterovers on the left along with the station’s water plant tech relaxing inside. Some folks took the opportunity to sleep (or attempt to sleep) in the igloo while it was still available—a thrill in and of itself but high winds in excess of 30 knots made it extra-exciting. A massive snow drift under the station entrance’s staircase attests to the ultrahigh winds last week. The last two images show the igloo before and during its ultimate demise. A shame to see it go, but that looks pretty cool. Until the next one!

in the igloo
Christian Krueger, IceCube/NSF
drift at DA
Christian Krueger, IceCube/NSF
igloo before
Hamish Wright, NSF
igloo during
Hamish Wright, NSF