The 300 Club

The past week marked a South Pole milestone: the 300 club. When the temperature drops below -100 ˚F, many people get into the sauna which is warmed up to 200 ˚F, and then walk naked to the South Pole, for a temperature difference of 300 ˚F. A better summary can be found here and an interesting article on the tradition can be found here. 

Some winters, the temperature never drops below -100 ˚F and the tradition isn't possible. Over a month past mid-winter, we were beginning to worry. To our relief the temperature did drop and about 15-20 of us participated this year. One polie stood at the pole with a camera and flashlight to guide the way, and the rest of us walked to the pole from the sauna in groups of 2-5.

Everyone's experience varies. For me, the sauna had superheated my body enough that I did not begin to experience discomfort until the walk back.

The path to the pole begins at what we call the Beer Can, the cylinder on one side of the station that also leads to the underground passages to the power plant / warehouse / vehicle facility. The main obstacle to get to the pole is the large drift that develops in front of the Beer Can over the course of the winter. The two NOAA people that work in the ARO building climb this every day.

The drift

Additional degrees:

• Unlike in the Atlantic article, we walked to the geographic south pole, not the ceremonial south pole 
• Fortunately the temperature stayed below -100 for half a day, allowing ample time for everyone to complete the walk, and bottoming out at -104.8
• Walking is better than running, which can cause you to inhale too much cold air and catch a cough
• Generally it only reaches -100 with clear skies and little wind

Next Week in Pole: Snowmobiles!