Antarctic scientist

“It all builds up to the big field trip. Once every couple of years, I get to spend a couple of months at the bottom of the Earth. I fly to the Antarctic base in a Twin Otter plane that’s like a Land Rover with wings. There, I meet my field guide; a highly trained mountaineer who’s in charge of safety and logistics. We load up the snowmobiles and sledges with food and equipment, and then we head off to the survey site, which can be hundreds of kilometres away. We live together in the same tent for the next two months. My aim is to map the area geologically. Every day, we go out, climb mountains, chip away at the rocks and then collect and bring back samples. We’re trying to find out how Antarctica was formed. The best bit is you get to explore these amazing landscapes that people have never been to before.”