Pole Olympics

More scheduled sport activities...

9 AM: Triathlon: (don’t miss your opportunity to make history by participating in the first ever South Pole Triathlon!!!). Distance: 1 mile bike + 1 mile run + 1 mile ski. Meet at the Pax terminal. Bicycle is provided. You must pick up your own skis ahead of the race. There will be a man and a woman category.

10 AM: Bubble wrap sumo challenge: Meet in the gym. Please bring your own bubble wrap and be bubble wrapped and ready by 10 AM. Come early to prepare your attire. We will draw a ring on the floor. You win the match by pushing your contender outside the ring. If you touch the other person with any body parts not covered by bubble wrap you lose the match. Time limit is 30 sec per match.

11 AM: Beer can race: Meet at the top of the beer can. We will walk down the stairs all together, then race back up one at a time. There will be a man and a woman category.

1:30 PM: The last one pulling: Meet at the Geographic SP. You will have 30 seconds to pull a sled 25 yds. Then we will load the sled with ~50 lbs and you will have 30 sec to pull the sled another 25 yds. Then we will load the sled with another ~50 lbs, etc. The last one pulling will be the winner. There will be a man and a woman category.

2:00 PM: The last one pedaling: (this event was invented on Dec 31 by the Austrian/German teams who visited us). Meet at the Geographic SP. Start pedaling on a groomed surface. Then enter the sastrugi. The winner is the one who can pedal the farthest on the sastrugi.

2:30 PM: Dartathlon: Meet at the Geographic SP. Ski from the Geographic pole to ARO and back, then shoot darts. The dart score is converted to an equivalent time. You must pick up your own skis ahead of the race. The sum of the ski time and dart score will determine the winner.

3:00 PM: Pole-to-pole pull: Meet at the geographic SP. Find a partner and pull them on a sled from the Geographical pole to the Ceremonial pole. Then switch partners and come back to the Geographical pole. The fastest time wins.

3:30 PM: Stick on nose: Meet at the Geographic South Pole. This is a team event: 3 people per team. The first person on the team runs 25 yards to a stick in the snow, puts his/her nose on the stick, goes around it 12 times, and runs back to the team. Then the second person does the same, etc. The fastest time wins. All teams compete simultaneously.

4:00 PM: Fastest in ECW: Meet in the galley. Starting with your top and bottom longjohn and thin socks you will dress in full ECW (heavy socks, boot liners, fdx boots, carharts, top fleece, parka, liner gloves, mittens, balaclava, hat, neck gaiter, goggles). Bring your own ECW. The fastest time wins.

4:30 PM: Station champions: Meet in the Galley. Every team is made of 4 people. 1st person: from the galley run down the beer can, out to summer camp, house mouse the summer camp bathroom (just clean one of the mirrors), then run back to the station at DA; 2nd person: from DA go to the computer lab, log in, send an email to the course judge, and logout; 3rd person: run downstairs at DA, pick up three bags of mail, and take them to the post office; 4th person: run to the kitchen, wear apron, hat, and gloves, wash 5 dishes and 5 cups, undress, and cross the finish line in the galley.

Do we need a glossary?
ECW: Extreme Cold Weather, applies to gear
DA: Destination Alpha, main station entrance
DZ: Destination Zulu, station entrance near galley & summer camp
House Mouse: bathroom & lounge cleaning on schedule, everyone participates
sastrugi: snow dunes, typically of small vertical extent
Pax: passenger
Pax terminal: the spot you stand outside waiting for the plane
South Pole: yes, there are two of them, geographic and ceremonial
beer can: the corrugated steel vertical end segment of the station, contains stairs, service elevator, and utilities