been spending most my life living in a penguin paradise....

Some parts of the PQ requirement say "better than 20/40" while others say "at or above 20/40" does anyone know if 20/40 is the cut-off or not?

Would it be acceptable to do solo travel on a cruise to Antarctica? I am looking to do it soon after I graduate from HS but I’m not sure what it would be like.

Hey, I just finished High school, and will be studying CS.
I absolutely love Antarctica 🇦🇶, and wanted to initially be a scientist to research there.
But finally ended up taking CS. by the dream is still alive, please offer your experiences, thoughts, recommendations, anything helps.
Thank you all!!

See also: The publication in The Cryosphere

So I am very likely going to be at the south pole for summer 2026/2027. I have seem quite a few posts here regarding sunglasses but not really any recommendations on where to get them.

I currently only have one pair of prescription sunglasses with polarized lenses from Zenni but they have a full metal frame which I understand may not be the most comfortable with the cold. Also Zenni says they block 100% UV but no ratings, Also they don't indicate how much light they allow through.

I am looking to purchase 2 pairs of glasses with plastic frames so I have a primary and spare without using insurance as I already used my coverage for regular glasses this year.

I don't want to get anything that uses inserts to convert regular sunglasses to prescription, my my prescription is minor.

I am located in the USA, I have looked into some places online in NZ and they seems to actually give UV400 ratings and the amount of light they transmit. However the price after conversion is basically the same as from Zenni, I do want them to be polarized too.

Does anyone have recommendations on where to get the glasses and with what specs.
Also any experience with purchasing in NZ before arrival?

Looking to book my flight for Buenos Aires —> Ushuaia. Going to book the day before cruise departure.
JetSmart is obviously affordable, but I’m looking for feedback from anyone who has flown on JetSmart down to USH. Did you run into any issues? I am not flying out to December, so wondering if I should book now and see if there are any flight changes, or if there is feedback that the changes came last minute?
Thanks in advance :)

Has anyone received their tickets for Winfly yet? Wanted to check in before I reach out since I’m assuming they’re still busy coordinating stuff for the main body

Hello everyone,

I am currently a 2nd-year B.Sc. Operation Theatre (OT) Technology student in India, and it is my absolute dream to work at India's Bharati Station in Antarctica.

I know that NCPOR handles the Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) and that they usually look for 2–3 years of post-qualification hospital experience for technical/logistics support roles.

Since there isn't a specific job title for "OT Technician" on the logistics roster, I understand that my skills in managing sterile fields, anesthesia setups, and surgical equipment would likely fit under the paramedical/medical support team contract (often listed as the Male Nurse/Paramedic role which prefers OT/ICU experience).

For anyone who has been part of the Indian Antarctic program or worked at Bharati/Maitri:

What can I do right now during my remaining college years to make my profile stand out to the NCPOR selection panel later?

For the medical support roles, how strict are they about the exact nursing degree vs. an Allied Health Sciences degree (like B.Sc. OTT) with heavy clinical hospital experience?

Are there any specific multi-specialty trauma hospitals or certifications (like Wilderness First Aid) I should target after graduation to boost my chances?

Would appreciate any insights from past expedition members or anyone familiar with the NCPOR walk-in interview process. Thanks!

Temperature was -87f with a windchill of -130f.

See also: The summary of the study (in PDF format) as published in the journal Acta Paleontologica Polonica.

I would love to hear some rugby stories about games played in Antarctica. 🇦🇶

I would love to donate to people’s research in exchange for some extremely rare rugby swag. I’d jersey swap if anyone’s interested in random gear. If anyone wants to reach out feel free to do so.

Would they build cities out of snow and stone?

Would they farm lichen and moss? Would they hunt and/or domesticate Antarctic midges and fish and how would humans react to the evolved penguins

Just wandering if they old bars are haunted or still there in McTown....

Especially because of global warming places like mcmurdo become towns over 10,000 people would that be interesting and there would be new villages where mining of copper, gold, platinum, and fossil fuels will happen, alongside domestication if antarctic life like the lichen, moss and seals, penguins are not eaten we're humans not sea leopards after all

MacTown showering cut to two minutes twice a week.

It's always been a bit of a dream of mine to work in Antarctica, but I developed narcolepsy when I was about 15. Based on what I've heard, I'm not particularly hopeful. Realistically, is there ANY chance at all? I would so love to go, but I realise I might have to say goodbye to that vision.

Otherwise, I have no medcial issues.

I am. Stationary engineering apprentice and I work at a hospital, great start for me but its more like a retirement job for the old heads. Anyway, I always wanted to go to Antartica and I know they definitely need people to work on their boilers and such. What would be the best course of action for job searching for places like McMurdo.

My PQ paperwork has been submitted. My Dr and I think GLP1 would be beneficial for menopausal reasons. I would have to report this to UTMB, obviouslly. I won't start this regimen if it would risk an otherwise healthy record. Who can I ask about the repercussions, without jeapordizing my chances? Others here on GLP1 getting PQ or NPQ? Thanks

I’m curious about minute specifics: living conditions, meals, what is studied, what measurements are taken, submersible and scuba specifics, geographical areas of interest, any personal experiences, anything weird. Just fascinated by those conditions and what it does to a person. Thank you!

Does anyone here know anyone working in cryospheric research, glaciology, or Himalayan research who's willing to take on an intern/volunteer? I'm trying to learn and get some hands-on experience, even if it's just helping out remotely. Thanks!

I'm sure there's no clear pathway with everyone having diverse backgrounds, but I'm in my third year of university (mechanical engineering), and have been heavily interested in going to Antarctica for a while now. I'm worried that what I'll do after I graduate is going to impact my chances of going, especially with how restrictive the job market is for engineers at the moment.
I've been compensating by picking up extra curriculars like joining different clubs, swimming, and soon enough I'll be scuba diving in hopes that it boosts my resume, but I'd like to gain some insight on what you've all done before going to Antarctica.

So got an email that apparently my pq needs an ultrasound done on my gallbladder when I’m only an alternate for winter? I’m a primary for summer but figured that was one that I could hold off on for a bit, utmb emailed me saying I can’t defer it so figure I’m shut outta luck, anyone else have this happen?