This week at Casey: 5 August 2016

The super blizzard winds set a new Casey record over the weekend, peaking at 134 knots (approximately 248km/hr) on Sunday afternoon. As a result of the blizzard from Saturday to Tuesday there was very little outdoor activity, with expeditioners confined to the Red Shed where we punished the exercise machines, indulged in movie marathons, started refurbishing the bar and painting the dining room table, and celebrated bike-riding legend Brilly’s birthday on Saturday night with formal dinner and a very civilised wine tasting.

The strong winds have really altered the landscape: they blew out the sea ice which sadly will put an end to our sea ice trips for the foreseeable future, dumped a mountain of snow inside the new Casey utility building (CUB) which is still under construction, blocked up doorways, and knocked over one of the flag poles. Otherwise remarkably little damage was done, probably due to the hard work put in on before the blizz hit, tying objects down or moving them inside.

Walk to the South Pole

Kilometres Kiwi succeeded in his goal of stirring the young guns up by dominating the Walk to the South Pole Challenge. He completed over 600km during the month, which was 200km further than his closest competition, Adam “The Moth” McLaughlin. As a team we completed 3300km for the month, a great effort by those involved.

Darts

Well, the Invincible Casey team were finally beaten by Mawson. Banjo and other members of their team displayed great skill and determination, but luck also played a big part. The boys here have decided to start training again, as their form has clearly slipped. There are two more games left in the minor rounds.

Traverse Team

Preparations for the Law Dome traverse are underway, with the first traverse group spending a night out at Tiger Rock practicing tent erections and cooking with gas stoves. By all accounts the trip was very successful and enjoyable, and they are looking forward to the real deal next week (if the weather allows). They have also been having first aid refresher training and suturing practice.

In other news…

July’s pink hat was a competitive affair, with some excellent nominations. In the end Steve bought the pink hat with a generous donation to the McGrath Foundation. Katie has been busy in the barber shop; Wayneo blew out another birthday cake candle; and planning for the Olympics Games has started.