The 14 "First In" members of BELARE 2008-09 arrived in Utsteinen, Antarctica, safe and sound. Following a stop-over at the Russian polar station Novo, they reached the Princess Elisabeth research station on November 11th, in the late afternoon.
Although the weather started out with a blue sky and bright sunshine, these favourable weather conditions have now been brushed aside by heavy clouds and cold temperatures. It has lately been reported to be -20°C at night.
For their first night on site, the team members slept inside the station: "Each person chose his own place to sleep: the future kitchen for some, and the future bathroom for others. There were fourteen of us spread out over the 400m2 of the station's interior. It was pretty comfortable."
The first few days were dedicated to stocking the pantry and tidying up the kitchen, clearing away the snow from around the garage entrance, servicing the vehicles, setting up base camp, preparing the runway for the next flights, and clearing paths between the station, the base camp, the runway and the container depot.
Further news about the team on site can be read on the Princess Elisabeth Station website.
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