Everything Antarctica

What do you stop missing when you spend months living at the bottom of the world? In this episode of the Everything Antarctica Podcast, Matty Jordan and Jonny Harrison share the surprising things they didn’t miss from everyday life back home — from paying for petrol and groceries, to traffic jams, meetings, online shopping, and even bugs! Expect honest stories, funny insights, and a unique perspec...

In this episode of the everything Antarctica podcast, Jonny and Matty discuss some of the things they missed the most while living and working in Antarctica. There are several things that become inaccessible, especially during the winter. Some things are exactly as expected - like family, friends, partners, pets and fresh fruits and vegetables. Other things, like being barefoot outside, only becom...

Raised on the rooftop of a high-rise building in Hong Kong, Rewa’s desire for a unique perspective has taken her beyond the frame and into the remote landscapes of Australia, New Zealand, Europe and across the Southern Ocean to the Antarctic Peninsula. Touched by the magic of her father developing his own photographs, Rewa has gone back to the beginning of Photography. She is tracing the footsteps...

Pete’s diverse experience in environmental management spans climate risk modelling and management in the Finance Industry, to technical advising in a project delivering data infrastructure that enabled next generation water use forecasting, however, Pete’s first foray into the Antarctic in 2014 was as a student at Canterbury University. In this project, he undertook field work at Lake Vanda in the...

This episode of the Everything Antarctica Podcast we host a panel discussion with David Tayler (Head of Christchurch Antarctic Office), Lt. Col. Matt McNulty (Commander & Director of Operations), Professor Pat Langhorne NZAM (Former Head of Department of Physics, Otago University) and Dr Dan Price (Glaciologist and Remote Sensing Specialist). As part of the Speaker Series of the Days of Ice Fe...

This week on the show, we talk about the different kind of weather we have and some of the interesting things specific to weather in Antarctica. While you would think weather is much the same around the world, being a desert, Antarctica has some interesting things which make it stand out from your day to day back home.

This week on the podcast we talk through what it's like on the day you fly to Antarctica. We dive into everything from the moment you get up through the day to when you finally get to bed. Hopefully you get a feel for some of the moments which make it a special day for anyone heading south and what a long but exciting day it really is.

This week we chat with Lewie Chilcott an Antarctic enthusiast with an interest in leopard seals and all things Antarctica. Working as a guide at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, Lewie has lots of passion and knowledge which he shares in this great episode.

This week on the podcast we talk all about the vehicles we use, those found at McMurdo station and a few of the intricacies of operating vehicles in cold harsh conditions found in Antarctica. We talk everything from Hagglunds to Ivan the terror bus and everything between.

This week on the Everything Antarctica Podcast we talk about Fam trips. These are the coordinated trips which usually consist of a larger group and go a little further away from base. Called other things at other stations, we go over the main ones for Scott Base which are similar to those at McMurdo station. Come with us as we explore some of the more exciting group outings we get to experience do...

One of the most common questions we get asked is “What do you eat in Antarctica?” This is a great question and given that we don’t have farms, or animals or plants we can eat, the answer can surprise people. This episode explains a day of food starting at breakfast and heading all the way through to dinner, dessert and after dinner snacks. We answer questions like “What do vegetarians eat?” “I’m a...

We get a little more specific into the work of the electrician at Scott Base. Jonny has done the role a few times so knows exactly what the job entails. If you’re applying to be an electrician in Antarctica, this is the episode for you. It also provides a good overview of his day to day life including recreation and a whole lot of other things you’re probably wondering about!

We don’t get to avoid chores just because we live in Antarctica. This episode explains how we go about day to day life including: how we do our washing, how we get our hair cut, how we send and receive mail and letters, online shopping, in person shopping at the small store, what the living situation is like with other people in shared rooms, and the repurposing of items that we no longer need lik...

This episode explores the concept of mouse rounds at Scott Base in Antarctica. The “mouse” has many duties to fulfil above and beyond their regular duties. These include: printing the day’s weather, manning the radio for the day, recording people’s movements throughout the day, be alert to any changes in weather, and then completing mouse rounds. Mouse rounds are done at the end of the day and ens...

This week on the Everything Antarctica Podcast we get interviewed live as part of Remake Learning Days. This special episode is a Q&A and covers some of the most commonly asked questions about Antarctica. It's a great one for the whole family and we are grateful for the chance to be part of Remake Learning Days this year. Hope you enjoy.

What’s a day in Matty’s life like in Antarctica? The short answer is that it varied dramatically between seasons, with the summer being busier and more hectic than the winter which tends to be more relaxed and a bit slower. If you’re interested in listening to what a typical day is life in Antarctica then this is the episode for you.

Dr Dan Price is a glaciologist with research work focussing on Antarctic sea ice thickness with satellite and airborne sensors. He has been to Antarctica 8 times for both scientific research and program and logistical support. He developed crevasse avoidance techniques for heavy vehicle traverses across the world’s largest ice shelf- the Ross Ice Shelf which is roughly the size of France. This inv...

In this week’s episode we do a basic introduction to the different types of ice in Antarctica. Do you know the difference between sea ice, glacial ice, ice shelves, ice caps, and ice sheets? Do you know what a polynya is? Have you heard about the shrek the sheep who got shorn on an iceberg? We explain all of these in the hope that it helps with future episodes when we talk about these topics. Whil...

In this week’s episode of the Everything Antarctica Podcast, Matty and Jonny sit down with Tom Newell. Tom was the water engineer at Scott Base in the 2011 and 2012 season, wintering over in 2012. One of the most popular questions we get is how do you produce drinking water, and what do you do with the waste? Tom answers both of these questions! His job was to produce the drinking water and potabl...

The question that we get asked every day on social media is "How do I get a Job in Antarctica?" Many people think that working in Antarctica is only for scientists and people with PHD's from a top university, but that absolutely isn't the case. In this episode we delve into all of the types of jobs that are available and how you can get one of them! There are jobs available for chefs, engineers, p...

This is the second episode we’ve done on recreation, with this one focussing on outdoor recreation as opposed to last week’s episode on indoor recreation. Outdoor recreation is tied very closely to the weather conditions on the day, and as a result is more difficult to plan than an indoor activity. Some of the key activities include hiking, walking, biking, cross country and downhill skiing, spott...

In this weeks episode of the Everything Antarctica Podcast, Matty and Jonny talk about some of the indoor recreational opportunities that exist for people living and working in Antarctica. Most people have recreational activities that they enjoy doing, but sometimes the weather means that these activities are restricted to inside. Fitness is covered with items like a gym and a climbing wall, and o...

Following on from our episode on Antarctic clothing, in this weeks episode, we talk about the. Survival training that we do when we get to the ice. This allows us to take those clothing layers and experiment with them in a safe environment, with professionals supervising. It’s not that easy to just turn up in Antarctica, and instantly expect to know how to cope with the extreme weather conditions....

This week, we answer a few listener questions that have come through from Social Media! We appreciate the engagement as it gives us some fresh ideas for things to make episodes about! The most common question I get asked is "How did you get your job in Antarctica?" This is a question that deserves a full episode, so we cover this question only at a very high level. We will do a more in-depth episo...

On this weeks episode, Matty and Jonny talk about cold weather clothing. Some of the most common questions we get are “How do you keep yourself warm in such cold temperatures?” Generally the answer is a really good layering system and good clothes. We go into detail about what we would wear and how we would keep warm at different times of the year in different temps. Keeping warm is different for...