A convoy heading for Concordia base in Antartica
© AFP/HO/FileCONCORDIA, Antarctica (AFP) - "You have to be vigilant," insisted Claire Le Calvez, a technical supervisor at the French-Italian Concordia base, located on Dome C, more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the coast.
The 14 volunteers stranded on this ice cap over the winter know that no one can reach them for a full nine months.
"It is possible to quickly rescue someone who's been injured at the International Space Station (ISS), but for the nine months of winter, that is not the case for a patient at Concordia," Yvan Levy, a doctor spending the winter at the base, said.
At an altitude of 3,200 meters and faced with temperatures plunging as low as -80 degrees C (-112 degrees F), even the tiniest detail here requires deliberate effort.
People here wear special clothing to protect against the blistering cold: to ward off frostbite they sport masks, making breathing difficult, and warm gloves cover their hands of course. But these need to be removed to carry out work involving the handling of small objects, so cracked nails are common.
Scientists at the French-Italian Concordia base
© AFP/File Guy ClavelContact lenses are not allowed and people using glasses need to be careful that the frame don't cause frostbite in the places where they come in contact with skin. The same goes for the rims of binoculars and telescopes.
To keep accidents to a minimum among the scientists and technicians working around the clock at the station, strict safety regulations are imposed at Concordia.
When going outside, be it to work or just take a walk, people on the base are required to at all times be accompanied by at least one other person, who could sound the alarm in the case of an accident.
The station's inhabitants also have to give word by radio when they leave and when they return, and they are forbidden to wander further than 750 metres (2,500 feet) from the base.
Concordia's security rules have paid off: so far there have been "very few work-related accidents" among the scientists and the technicians working day and night at the station, said Le Calvez, who is on a mission for the French polar Institute Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV).
While the freezing cold can make life in Antarctica unpleasant, it is especially the gusting, icy winds that bother the people spending the winter at the French Dumont D'Urville station, located on the coast.
A view of some of the summer housing for scientists at the Concordia base in Antartica
© AFP/File Guy Clavel"When working, the cold is not really bad on its own," said Jonathan Zaccharia, who has spent 14 months making atmospheric measurements at the station.
"What is difficult, however, is the wind," he added.
"The wind is the worst," agreed Emile Beaudon, who is spending the winter at Dumont d'Urville taking samples of the air, sea water and even the snow there.
The coastal base feels the full force of the icy katabatic winds that sweep down from the glacier peeks to the sea often at more than 200 kilometer an hour.
"Sometimes you can get lost just 200 meters from a building, not being able to distinguish the sky from the ground. The wind always blows away from the continent, so if you know the wind direction you can figure out where you are. The danger is when there is a seal hole in the ice, or falling from slipping on the snow," Beaudon said.
Anyone going outside is required to carry a radio so they can get in touch with the outside operations group and with their doctor.
All the inhabitants here also are trained either as rescuers or as firefighters.
And anyone venturing out onto the ice is required to bring a waterproof bag filled with dry cloths in case they fall into the water, something that happens every year, according to physician Ariane Richasse, who in her 14 months spent at the base has taken care of five fractures.
©AFP