A small sample of the many ensembles presented at this summer’s Davis Ward Fashion Show. Red is the color of the season,  just like last summer.   More seriously,  that’s a view toward the north; the dark band seen in the mid-distance is the moraine that separates the main Davis-Ward icefield from the Far North described in earlier posts. About 45 km away in the center-distance is the Otway Massif, another great meteorite hunting ground.

One of the frequently asked questions that we get from people at home is: “Are you cold?” I can honestly say that no, I’ve not been chilled-to-the-bone cold as part of ANSMET. The reason is that we wear the proper cold weather gear to get our work done comfortably and efficiently.

My preparation for working outside all day starts with a close-fitting merino wool base layer – long bottoms and long sleeve top. I also use a polypropylene base layer over that. So, two sets of thermal underwear. I also wear two layers of wool or wool/acrylic socks. After that, I have a fleece layer on the bottom. On the top I have a puffy down jacket. My last layer on the bottoms are a pair of military extreme cold weather gear “puffy pants”. They have a synthetic down-like filler and wind proof outer fabric. The puffy pants are not waterproof, but we’re in the cold desert and they don’t need to be! It’s cold enough that any snow that gets on your outer layers will not melt and just brushes off. On the outside on top is “Big Red” the Canada Goose down jacket issued to everyone that is part of the US Antarctic Program. The above ~4 layers seem to be what most of our team members are using, but some use more (Erin’s epic 6 layer system) or less as they need for their comfort. No matter an individual’s system it all boils down to sufficient insulation for your comfort and then a windproof layer on the outside.

As for the extremities, head gear for me is a neck gator, balaclava over the face, a fleece hat and finally an insulated “trapper hat” to top it all off. Again, most of out team use about that many layers of headgear. Topping everything off is a pair of goggles for wind and UV/sun screening – from the pictures of us in the field, you can see out entire team uses good goggles. For gloves, I use a pair of fingerless merino wool gloves under a pair of double thick wool mittens inside of leather chopper mittens. Perhaps surprisingly, my hands have rarely felt a chill. There are two types of boots that our team has chosen. Everyone either has the white bunny boots or a pair of Baffin boots. Both are made for extreme cold weather and they keep our feet warm.

-Jon from Davis Ward