From the Antarctic: A perfect day for sloping off in the 24-hour sun

By SIMON COLLINS at Scott Base

The ski-lift is a rope and pulley powered by an old truck discarded by the United States' McMurdo Station.

Apres-ski facilities consist of a one-person A-frame hut with a toilet seat over a bucket of frozen human excrement, and another bucket labelled "P".

But these primitive arrangements are all that is needed for a perfect day's skiing in the 24-hour sun at Antarctica's only skifield, near New Zealand's Scott Base.

Apparently the US, which has 1000 people at McMurdo compared with the 85 at Scott Base, has never built its own skifield because the American authorities do not want to encourage any activity that might risk injury.

"If they did build one, it would be much bigger than this," joked one of the New Zealanders enjoying the snow on Sunday.

But for Scott Base staff, the skifield is a welcome break from indoor duties.

Mechanic Toby Griffith-Jones, whose day job is repairing snow vehicles and bulldozers, had a chance to show off his first-class, no-hands skiing techniques, honed over seven seasons working at skifields in both New Zealand and Colorado.

At the other extreme, chef Trudi Munro and base services manager Glenn Burt, a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, tried downhill skiing for the first time.

"It was one of the ambitions that I set myself when I came down here," said Mr Burt.

Antarctica NZ communications manager Shelly Peebles acted as ski instructor, patiently repeating lessons as Mr Burt and this reporter took all day to pick up the basic techniques for changing direction.

Ms Munro, whose only previous skiing experience was cross-country, took to zigzagging downhill as if she had done it all her life.

Mr Griffith-Jones spent much of the day creating a ski jump made of snow for the experienced skiers such as Danny Higgins, a field support officer for scientific expeditions, and mountaineer Paul Rogers, who trains base staff and scientists in Antarctic survival skills.

A few days earlier, Mr Griffith-Jones had taken the old truck out of storage and towed it up to the skifield a few kilometres from Scott Base, where it will stay for the summer.

The weight of skiers on the tow rope is offset by a 209-litre drum suspended on a lever which should triple its effective weight to about 600kg.

It was supposed to be full of water, which would quickly freeze in the minus 10C temperatures. In fact, half the water had seeped out through a hole, so the rope could hold only three people at a time. But the drum will be filled again before the next ski outing.

In the peak of the season, the makeshift Kiwi skifield normally attracts a lot of American visitors from McMurdo, but there were none there on Sunday.

One American, who goes cross-country skiing every evening for exercise, said safety-conscious US officials discouraged visits unless people were specifically invited by New Zealanders.

Nevertheless, he intends to be there after work on Wednesday nights and on Sundays when he can.

Both Antarctic bases work their staff and scientists hard - six days a week at Scott Base and often seven days a week at McMurdo.

For Mr Griffith-Jones and Mr Rogers, who checked out a crevasse near the skifield, Sunday was still not exactly a day of rest.

But it was a day that combined the best of summer and snow in a way that would never be possible at home.