Girton Conference

This is it!
Many new to BAS find their Antarctic Experience starts at the Girton Conference. It was equally important to those of us who've been in for a while, as pretty much every 'Ice' question was answered. Over the first three days, there were lectures of the origins of BAS, the nature of the stations and on the science being carried out. The history lectures were really fascinating. Sitting in a red-brick lecture hall, captivated by an 1947 sled-dog training film, it really felt good to be a small part of a historic institution.

Thursday to Saturday covered advanced first-aid. Although I've done a good few such courses before, this drew home the point that we really are going to the end of the earth, and, over winter, there will be no-one else to help us! Thankfully the doctors were excellent teachers and we all passed with good marks. That's one weight off my mind.

As there's no rest for the wicked, I spent today with a smaller team going over the oil-spill responce plans. This is important as a small spillage could do serious harm to the fragile eco-system, particularly on the South Georgia islands.

Tomorrow: Crevasse Resque training on the trecherous glaciers of...

...Derbyshire.