Discovery

Phoning the Ice

Not many people would fancy living for a year in something not much bigger than a garden shed in the world's biggest deep freeze.

But that's just what adventurers Don and Margie McIntyre are doing at Antarctica's Cape Denison, better known as "The Home of the Blizzard". The McIntyres are spending 1995 alone and icebound in a tiny (2.4m by 3.6m) hut, and will be the first people ever to winter alone on the continent.

There in the depths of the long Antarctic winter they will brave 300km/hr winds to undertake a number of scientific programmes including bird, whale and seal observation, monitoring the environmental effects of cruise ships and conducting a census of local Adelie Penguin colonies.

Local students will take part in a programme linking some 500 New Zealand schools with the explorers as part of Telecom's sponsorship of Expedition Icebound.

The link creates an innovative way for students to learn by using telecommunications technology to participate in this great adventure, according to Telecom Education Manager Lyle Griffiths.

"Students will also have a chance to find out what it's like to live in such an isolated location in extreme conditions. What food will the explorers eat, what do they think about, how often do they argue, will be among the questions students can ask as part of this opportunity to share in an ultimate experience."

Griffiths says Expedition Icebound will link students with the two explorers in Antarctica along with Antarctic experts in New Zealand and Australia, the Antarctic Centre in Christchurch and participating schools in Australia. Students throughout the country will use fax, audioconferencing and electronic mail as part of their classroom activities.

"The programme has been designed to make it easy for schools to get involved without having to purchase special equipment. Communicating with the two explorers in the Antarctic will be as easy as picking up the telephone."

The McIntyres will be using Inmarsat C and M for voice and data transmission. The explorers say they are looking forward to communicating with the Kiwi students.

"We're really looking forward to talking to schools throughout New Zealand and sharing our experiences with them. We hope to raise awareness among them about the impact people have on the environment and how to live in a fairly inhospitable place with limited resources," Don McIntyre says.

"This is very much an adventure for adventure's sake. We hope to get kids excited to get out, be adventurous and have a go at whatever they want to do."