a very interesting blog to follow about the guys down south in Antarctica.

the last of the crew left for the winter season and they will close the runway (imagine that!)
Ready to be bunkering in for the winter...

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/wonderer/?xjMsgID=121015

here is a bit of background info about the station :-
McMurdo Station (77°51'S, 166°40'E), the main U.S. station in Antarctica, is a coastal station on the volcanic hills at the southern tip of Ross Island, about 3,864 km (2,415 miles) south of Christchurch, New Zealand, and 1,360 km (850 miles) north of the South Pole. The original station was built in 1955 to 1956 for the International Geophysical Year. Today's station is the primary logistics facility for supply of inland stations and remote field camps, and is also the waste management center for much of the U.S. Antarctic Program. Year-round and summer science projects are supported at McMurdo.

The station has a harbor, landing strips on the sea ice and shelf ice, and a helicopter pad. The three airfields-the annual sea-ice runway, Pegasus White Ice Runway, and Williams Field Skiway-are used at different times of the year for different reasons. The station's 85 or so buildings range in size from a small radio shack to large, three-story structures. Repair facilities, dormitories, administrative buildings, a firehouse, power plant, water distillation plant, wharf, stores, clubs, warehouses, a science support center, and the first-class, 4,320 square-meter Crary Lab are linked by above-ground water, sewer, telephone, and power lines.

The mean annual temperature is -18°C (0°F). Temperatures may reach 8°C (46°F) in summer and -50°C (-58°F) in winter. The average wind is 12 knots, but winds have exceeded 100 knots.

McMurdo Station began austral winter operations on February 20, 2010, when the last flight left for Christchurch, New Zealand. About 200 people will spend the winter at the station on Ross Island. The sun will set for the winter in late April. To find out more about life at U.S. Antarctic research stations, see the Around the Continent section of The Antarctic Sun.