Antarctica, 19 December 2022

We have arrived at Wasa, and the season has started!

When we left the hotel in Cape Town, it took just under twelve hours to arrive at the research station. The trip went incredibly smoothly, even though we didn't arrive until two in the morning. Then we took care of our belongings and packed food and other things away. The weather was perfect, and we could leave some goods outside. We kept going until seven in the morning before we felt ready for bed. The first night we had no heat, but it was perfectly fine. We slept well for a few hours and got up at ten because we wanted to catch up with the time.

The first day was quite long. We had a lot to unpack and a lot to do regarding the start-up of the station. We got two tracked vehicles, two snowmobiles and a generator/electricity up and running. We fetched water, started the gas, fixed the toilet, and installed internet satellite and satellite telephone and more. Dinner was ready at 9 pm. Jennie cooked the first meals of the season, very good! When we had eaten, we were tired and got into bed quite quickly.

The next day we checked the weather report and saw that a storm was coming. We prepared for indoor jobs and made sure we had everything we needed inside the station before the storm arrived, such as water and food.

Today, December 19, there is a storm outside. We work indoors fixing tent poles and the ventilation system, changing sauna units and mounting a screen/TV. Jennie cooks and bakes bread. It looks like the storm will continue for a couple more days. We plan to go through the upcoming garage construction and the various stages: how they should be carried out as well as identifying risks and coming up with smart solutions. We will also go through glacier safety/rope training before practical outdoor exercises when the weather improves.

No major surprises so far, everything has been going well.

Greetings from Ola and my colleagues: Svante, Stefan, Jennie and Johan