The whiteboard in the dining hall at Rothera is always spattered with offers for opportunities to participate in boating, skiing, mountaineering, walking etc.  Yesterday this list went up for visits to the show crevasse. I had heard from others that this was a must-not-miss trip.  I managed to get my name at the top of the list.

So at 1.30pm after Sunday brunch, myself Matt (mechanic), Sam (electronics engineer), Nick (domestic), Seb, Izzy and Becky (i-Star scientists)  assembled at Fooks house to kit out in boots, cramp-ons, helmets and harnesses.

The trip was generously guided by the fabulous Senior Field Assistant Roger Stiltwell.  After helping us all fit our cramp-ons and harnesses, Roger went ahead to dig out the crevasse entrance and Sam led us up the ramp to the crevasse entrance.

The weather deteriorated slightly as we walked up the ramp.  We stopped at the top to watch the Dash 7 land on the base runway bringing 12 more new summer crew.

At the entrance to the crevasse Roger attached a rope to the bumper of the parked skidoo and belayed us all down the narrow entrance into the crevasse.

Sam meet us at the bottom of the descent and unclipped us and showed us how to safely navigate within the crevasse chambers. The crevasse has been laid with guide ropes to which we attach. Always attaching a row before detaching from a previous rope. With this system we were to and were able to navigate the crevasse at our leisure.