Where are you going?
The Amundsen-Scott South Pole station.

How do you get to the Pole?
We begin by taking commercial flights from Los Angeles to Christchurch, New Zealand. At Christchurch, we pick up extreme cold weather (ECW) gear from the US Antarctic Program office, and we take military aircraft into McMurdo, a station on the coast of Antarctica. We take a second flight on military aircraft to continue from McMurdo to the Pole.

How long does the trip take?
The trip from Los Angeles to Christchurch takes about 14 hours of total flying time. The Christchurch-McMurdo flight ranges between 5 and 11 hours depending on which plane you get, and the McMurdo-Pole flight takes about 3 hours. With nights spent in Christchurch and McMurdo, the minimum time for the full journey is about 3 days. Most of the time the trip takes longer due to delays on the Antarctic flights.

What time is it at the Pole?
We're on New Zealand time, which is -3 hours, +1 day from Pacific time.

Where can I find more pictures?
My fellow BICEPers, Yuki Takahashi, Denis Barkats , Steffen "Rockstar" Richter, and Kiwon Yoon also have lots of Pole photos. Other cool Polies include Robert, Brad, and Dana. Bill probably has the most comprehensive website. I've also dumped some video clips here (local Pole residents go here instead).

To experience a virtual day at the South Pole, try this adventure game that I wrote for our winterover in 2006.