Training for a polar mission
So now you have grown up in the STEM world, graduated with a relevant degree
(or two), and been hired by an organization that wants you on their stratospheric
balloon team. For the past year you have been working on a candidate instrument
or payload and have been chosen to go to the launch site. They say the best place
to launch the instrument is at one of the polar regions, most likely Antarctica. So
you are sent for a Polar Training Course. You’ve skied at Aspen so you think this
will be fun. You fondly remember the “après ski” gatherings by the hot tub. The
following is your required training:
Course Overview
The Open Polar Training Course is designed to prepare individuals to participate
in a polar expedition. It is operated out of the remote mountain village of Finse at
the heart of the Hardangervidda Plateau in Norway. There are morning classroom
sessions, afternoon practical outdoor sessions, learning to cross-country ski, and
evening lectures.
Week One
A remote and highly challenging 6 day mini expedition on the Hardangervidda
Plateau. This is a very physical week which requires good levels of strength and
endurance fitness. Before arriving on the course you should be satisfied that you
have the physical ability to pull a 40 kg (88 lb) sled up and down hills at a gentle
but consistent pace for 8 hours per day for 6 days straight. If by the end of week
any student has been assessed by the instructors to be unable to sustain this level
of activity, they may not be able to partake in week two.
Finse Expedition Festival
This festival is an incomparable gathering of world class explorers, guides and
adventurers. Taking up three days in February there are lectures, workshops, a
festival dinner on Saturday evening, presentation of the prestigious Shackleton
Award, and a weekend’s worth of networking and rubbing shoulders with some of
the greatest inspirations on the planet. The Finse Expedition Festival happens
from Thursday to Sunday; the weekend between the operators two courses.
Course Topics Covered
Clothing
The correct use of layers and how to combine base layers, mid-layers and outer
layers to the best effect in an extreme working environment; a close look at the
different types of clothing and materials available; hands and face management;
socks; vapor barrier footwear; using your clothing for venting and temperature
control; footwear, boots and bindings; skis, skins, fish scales; snowshoes and
camp footwear.
Appendix 3: Interesting Stories 307
So now you have grown up in the STEM world, graduated with a relevant degree
(or two), and been hired by an organization that wants you on their stratospheric
balloon team. For the past year you have been working on a candidate instrument
or payload and have been chosen to go to the launch site. They say the best place
to launch the instrument is at one of the polar regions, most likely Antarctica. So
you are sent for a Polar Training Course. You’ve skied at Aspen so you think this
will be fun. You fondly remember the “après ski” gatherings by the hot tub. The
following is your required training:
Course Overview
The Open Polar Training Course is designed to prepare individuals to participate
in a polar expedition. It is operated out of the remote mountain village of Finse at
the heart of the Hardangervidda Plateau in Norway. There are morning classroom
sessions, afternoon practical outdoor sessions, learning to cross-country ski, and
evening lectures.
Week One
A remote and highly challenging 6 day mini expedition on the Hardangervidda
Plateau. This is a very physical week which requires good levels of strength and
endurance fitness. Before arriving on the course you should be satisfied that you
have the physical ability to pull a 40 kg (88 lb) sled up and down hills at a gentle
but consistent pace for 8 hours per day for 6 days straight. If by the end of week
any student has been assessed by the instructors to be unable to sustain this level
of activity, they may not be able to partake in week two.
Finse Expedition Festival
This festival is an incomparable gathering of world class explorers, guides and
adventurers. Taking up three days in February there are lectures, workshops, a
festival dinner on Saturday evening, presentation of the prestigious Shackleton
Award, and a weekend’s worth of networking and rubbing shoulders with some of
the greatest inspirations on the planet. The Finse Expedition Festival happens
from Thursday to Sunday; the weekend between the operators two courses.
Course Topics Covered
Clothing
The correct use of layers and how to combine base layers, mid-layers and outer
layers to the best effect in an extreme working environment; a close look at the
different types of clothing and materials available; hands and face management;
socks; vapor barrier footwear; using your clothing for venting and temperature
control; footwear, boots and bindings; skis, skins, fish scales; snowshoes and
camp footwear.
Appendix 3: Interesting Stories 307