Apprent-ICE 2016 Blog #1

Hi I am Ryan Tesselaar and am very fortunate enough this year to be selected for the 2016 Apprent-ICE position. I am an Apprentice Carpenter at a Hamilton based company called Foster Construction, and am stoked to be selected by Antarctica New Zealand to work on the ongoing upgrades to Scott Base.

This year the team and I are adding onto the Hillary Field Centre creating a new container dock and warm porch. This ongoing upgrade to Scott base is going to make an already world class research centre stay ahead of the game. I flew down to Christchurch on Sunday the 31st of January and got straight into the swing of things by completing training as well as a media interview Monday: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/76465495/ice-awaits-lucky-building-apprentice-in-antarctica.html

Tuesday morning we all got prepared and flew six hours south, unfortunately having to turn back due to weather complications. This was good in some sense because it made me even more excited on how unique and challenging my time on the ice is going to be.

After a few more weather delays we prepared for our flight on Thursday morning, flying down on a US Air force LC130. This in itself will be something I will never forget, sitting in a cargo net seat with 32 others amongst our luggage for nine hours. We flew over some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. Landing on the Ross Ice Self was another one of the unforgettable experiences, and walking down the steps off the plane you are greeted by the cold temperature as well as the bright 24/7 Antarctic sunlight.

In my first week on ice I have already had the chance to go out and experience a few of the many amazing sites Ross island has to offer such as Crater Hill, a large mountain with a frozen crater on top this offers you incredible 360 degree view overlooking the endless Ross Ice Shelf, Mount Erebus, Scott Base and the vast American base (McMurdo). I have had a day on the ski field snowboarding as well as completing two days of practical field training where I was given some key tips on surviving in this harsh continent. Now it's time to extend my building knowledge and get stuck into helping out on the construction side of things.

Cheers, Ryan