Week 25 at the Pole

People gathered around the conference room table at the South Pole station.
Wenceslas Marie-Sainte, IceCube/NSF

Last week at the Pole was quiet for the IceCube detector but a bit busy in the South Pole station, where the first planning meeting for the upcoming Antarctic Games was held. Several years ago, the South Pole station inaugurated its version of the Olympic winter games. Since then, they have held an annual “Polympics” competition in some form or other. For this year’s games, IceCube winterover Celas proposed expanding the competition to include other stations in Antarctica, to reflect the spirit of international cooperation that is foundational to Antarctica’s character. Last week, several stations got things rolling over a Zoom meeting. Some of the activities will be for individual competition while others will involve teams. Thirteen stations are planning to participate in the events, scheduled for July 2–10, so stay tuned for results.

Monitor showing video from other Antarctic station in South Pole station conference room.
John Michael Watson, NSF