Jay's World

The Natural Selection- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, New Zealand

2011-05-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

A tribute to the Ship for World Youth 13th Program (2000)

2010-10-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a little tribute I made 10 years ago of our amazing journey and to celebrate our enduring friendship :-) Sorry it took me (and the internet) so long to deliver it to you all.

I hope you enjoy it!

With our motto of 2(To) Our Own Ocean, we sailed from Sept. 9 to Oct. 24, 2000, for (49 days) to the following ports:
Japan (Harumi Pier)
Russia (Vladivostok, Sept. 9-10)
U.S.A. (Hawaii, Sept. 18-20)
Tonga (Nuku'alofa, Oct. 2-4)
New Zealand (Auckland, Oct. 8-11)
Singapore and Japan

With 252 participants on board with 117 Japanese and 135 OPYs we sailed across the Pacific on the Nippon Maru Tokyo.

And here is the New Zealand Delegation's tribute to ALL participants of the Ship for World Youth 13th Program :-)

Peru 2010, the lighter side

2010-07-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

Be Happy

2010-04-20T16:02:00.001-07:00

A good day in the hills

2008-12-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

Some old videos from Canada and Alaska I thought you might like

2008-09-19T00:14:00.000-07:00

Reflections on the frozen continent

2008-08-05T18:05:00.001-07:00

“Antarctica: a land of ice, snow, extreme cold, high winds, blizzards, calms, sunshine, the most extraordinary natural beauty imaginable – full of life, full of intrigue. A land that has drawn man to explore, to suffer the most severe privations in the quest to be ‘first’ – and to sometimes die in the attempt – ‘for flag and country’. A land that was once subtropical and is now one of the driest places on earth – a desert – with very little rainfall overall. A land that never warms below the surface. A land with only a recent history involving man. But what a history.” ¬¬Sir Peter Blake

About the Antarctic Youth Ambassador Programme
In December 2007 I embarked on a journey to fulfill my lifelong dream to visit Antarctica. I did so as the inaugural recipient of the Antarctic Youth Ambassador Award. The award, launched in January 2007 in association with the 50th anniversary of Scott Base, is an initiative between Antarctica New Zealand and the Sir Peter Blake Trust to select a young New Zealander to participate in environmental work in Antarctica and for them to act as an ambassador to educate others through their experiences. I had been selected from a pool of worthy applicants, aged between 18-25, who had expressed a passion for adventure and contributed towards the protection of the natural environment. My credentials, including travel through sixty-two countries as mountaineer, paraglider and sailor, and work with the United Nations Environment Programme had convinced the judges of my suitability for the award.

So it was that I found myself decked out from head to toe in full Antarctic extreme cold weather gear standing outside the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch one warm sunny morning in December waiting to board a US Air Force C-17 cargo plane bound for Scott Base. Accompanying me was Dr Neil Gilbert, the environmental manager for Antarctica New Zealand. We were embarking on a ten-day visit to the Ross Dependency to conduct environmental audits around Scott Base and assist in a review of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA).

Antarctic Field Training
Antarctic field training (AFT) is compulsory to all new arrivals at Scott Base. The training involves learning Antarctic survival and safety skills, along with Scott Base specific field protocols. The best part about the course is camping overnight in a ‘Scott Polar Tent’.
The day began with a seminar about equipment and safety. In the afternoon we loaded up a Hagglund tracked vehicle and departed for the AFT camp about 8km to the north on the Ross ice-shelf in the shadow of Mt Erebus’s smoking crater. Here I learnt to pitch the polar tents and dug an emergency snow shelter. In the evening, after a hot meal of the dehydrated form, I sat outside under the midnight sun and sipped at a cup of tea. My attention was drawn to the south, along the route that Scott, Shackleton and Hillary must have embarked on all those years ago in pursuit of the South Pole. I imagined myself venturing off into that unending whiteness on a sledge, or in Hillary’s case a Massey Ferguson tractor. I returned to my tent, tied up the doors and crawled into my three sleeping bags atop two thermal mattresses. Although it was
-20°C outside, it was warm and comfortable inside the tent. In keeping with what I had been taught, I ensured my radio and camera were kept warm inside my sleeping bag and that my trusty pee-bottle was always close at hand to save venturing out in the night.

ANDRILL
Having completed my field training I was now free to familiarize myself with Scott Base and the some of the scientific projects being undertaken in the vicinity. One such project is known as ANDRILL (Antarctic geological DRILLing), this is a multi-million dollar, multinational project to improve our understanding of the Antarctic’s past climate for the last 65 million years, in order to guide future scenarios of global warming on the continent. Situated 50km from Scott Base, the ANDRILL project looks from a distance like a Bedouin nomad camp in the middle of a white sand desert. The camp comprises of a drilling platform residing on 8m thick sea-ice and living/working quarters for about thirty staff. Due to the weight, the drilling platform is stabilized from below the ice by massive airbags. It is from here that the drill extends down through seawater for ~300m before penetrating the ocean floor.

Upon arrival at the camp the ANDRILL team were celebrating reaching their target depth of 1100m into the seabed and had begun extracting a good quality core. The technology being utilized in the project was a combination of conventional oil/gas equipment, tools used in geological core extraction and a hell of a lot of innovative and creative adaptation for the specialized and challenging conditions on the Antarctic sea-ice. I joint the team in celebrating their success with pikelets with fresh cream and jam. ‘Who said life is hard down in Antarctica?’

Historic Huts
My next adventure was to Cape Evans and Royds, home of Scott’s ‘Terra Nova’ and Shackleton’s ‘Nimrod’ historic huts. This journey took me to the east of Scott Base ~50km along the shores of Ross Island. Together with six others, I headed off across the sea-ice in the back of a Hagglund tracked vehicle. A few hours passed by until the Hagglund finally came to halt. I clambered out from the dark canopy and stood in the bright sun with a fine view of Mt Erebus and a small wooden hut about 100m away. Beside us sat a green wanagan (shipping container converted into a mobile home) with a New Zealand flag set on a pole and a second flag bearing the letters ‘AHT’. This was the camp of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, a non-profit organization responsible for the care of the expedition bases associated with the first explorers of the Ross Sea region. The conservation team housed within had the somewhat ominous task to restore and conserve what remained of Scott’s infamous ‘Terra Nova’ hut, which lay some meters away. Al Fastier, the Trust’s Programme Manager came out and greeted us beside the Hagglund. There was a stiff breeze blowing down off Mt Erebus so Al ushered us over to the entrance of the hut where he informed us of the history and conservation work he and his team had were undertaking over the summer months.

Stepping into the hut was like stepping back in time. I had expected it to be just some old run-down hut with nothing much of interest. However, as my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness I began to sense that this was not just any old hut.

The room inside was large, perhaps 15m across by 8m wide. In the centre sat a large dinning table, to the right was a kitchen fully stocked with supplies, bunk beds lay to centre left and right of the dining table. Towards the rear I could make out a laboratory and photographic darkroom. In the far left corner I recognized something I had seen before in a photograph. It was the bunk and desk of Robert Falcon Scott. An airy sensation ran down my spine as I looked around and recognized more features from the historic photos. From within these walls lay the memories of men whose adventure, discovery and endurance I could scarcely begin to fathom. I sat myself down on the floor and looked up into the rafters searching for the ghosts that haunted these walls. The experience left me perplexed for the next few days. It also made me recognize and appreciate the work of the AHT team to protect these huts as a vestige of Antarctica’s heroic age and early explorers.

McMurdo Dry Valleys
The training and tours were over and it was time to get down to business with our environmental work in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. These valleys are the largest expanse of ice-free ground in Antarctica covering an area of about 15,000km2, equivalent to that of Fiordland National Park. Their scientific values include unique geologic and biotic features of both local and global importance; these include salt deposits, desert pavements, low biodiversity ecosystems and indicators of past and present climate. They are also greatly valued as a wilderness, as they represent a near pristine environment free from humans and uncontaminated by human activities. They compose a dramatic landscape of barren mountains and sweeping glaciers that contrast starkly against the monotonous whiteness of the rest of the continent. The work in the valleys involved locating, surveying and reviewing the status of cited ‘special features’ as part of a five yearly review as stipulated by the Antarctic Treaty provisions.

We flew into the valleys by helicopter, accompanied by Emily Kelly of the United Stated Antarctic Program. We made a few stops along the way to check out an abandoned structure, which we marked for removal, and a possible site where a tourist zone may be established in the future. We then flew up the Taylor valley and attempted to locate two special features, but as the weather deteriorated and landings became impossible we were forced to return to base. Two days later when the weather had settled we tried again, but this time flying up the Wright valley and landing at Don Juan Pond. Don Juan Pond is a hyper saline lake that is so salty that it never freezes. Around the pond lay a myriad of strange mummified creatures; on closer inspection it was apparent they were the corpses of penguins and seals. Interestingly, the pond is 60km away from the sea, suggesting these poor creatures to have been seriously disorientated before coming to grief on the edge of the pond. Quite astonishingly, some of these mummies have been dated as old as 2000 years, providing further evidence of the unique environmental conditions in the valleys.

We surveyed a number of other special features and I left with a deep appreciation for both the aesthetic and scientific values of the area. While few will ever venture there, at least they provide a small area on this planet where the human ‘footprint’ has been minimal and will hopefully stay that way into the future.

Reflections on the frozen continent
Antarctica was truly wonderful to behold. The harshness and fragility of the place is both frightening and amazing. Going there was a physical and emotional rollercoaster ride from start till finish. Once away from Scott Base and in the Dry Valley’s, the remoteness and solitude is so intense that the obsessions of the material world become meaningless and one is confronted by the reality of one’s own existence and survival. The future of the frozen continent is inextricably tied to ‘our’ decisions as to how ‘we’ confront the issues of human induced climate change. As Edwin Mickleburgh is quoted, "The continent has become a symbol of our time. The test of man's willingness to pull back from the destruction of the Antarctic wilderness is the test also of his willingness to avert destruction globally. If he cannot succeed in Antarctica he has little chance of success elsewhere." A hundred years ago the Antarctic challenge was a race to reach the South Pole. Today the challenge is one of science and stewardship. Sir Peter Blake’s legacy reminds us that vision alone is not enough, “Change comes through realizing the vision and turning it into a reality. It is easy to espouse worthy goals, values and policies; the hard part is implementation." And so my adventure continues endowed with these experiences, lessons and challenges…

Web Links
Jay’s Antarctic Blog: www.antarcticyouthambassador.blogspot.com
The Sir Peter Blake Trust: www.sirpeterblaketrust.org
Antarctica New Zealand: www.antarcticanz.govt.nz
The ANDRILL Project: www.andrill.org
The Antarctic Heritage Trust: www.heritage-antarctica.org

Exploring the Antarctic Dry Valleys

2007-12-09T22:13:00.003-08:00

The Historic Huts of the Ross Sea Region

2007-12-09T22:13:00.001-08:00

My next adventure was to Cape Evans and Cape Royds, home of Scott’s ‘Terra Nova’ and Shackleton’s ‘Nimrod’ historic huts. This journey took me to the east of Scott Base ~50km along the shores of Ross Island.

Together with six others, I headed off across the sea-ice in the back of a Hagglund. A few hours passed by until the Hagglund finally came to halt. I clambered out from the dark canopy and stood in the bright sun with a fine view of Mt Erebus and a small wooden hut about 100m away. Beside us sat a green wanagan (shipping container converted into a mobile home) with a New Zealand flag set on a pole and a second flag bearing the letters ‘AHT’.

This was the camp of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, a non-profit organization responsible for the care of the expedition bases associated with the first explorers of the Ross Sea region. The conservation team housed within had the somewhat ominous task to restore and conserve what remained of Scott’s infamous ‘Terra Nova’ hut, for which lay some meters in the distance.

Al Fastier, the Trust’s Programme Manager came out and greeted us beside the Hagglund. There was a stiff breeze blowing down off Mt Erebus so Al ushered us over to the entrance of the hut where he informed us of the history and conservation work he and his team had embarked on over the summer month. We were then invited to enter into the hut.

Stepping into the hut was like stepping back in time. I had expected it to be just some old run-down hut with nothing of particular interest. However, as my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness I began to sense that this was not just any old hut.

The room inside was large, perhaps 15m across by 8 wide. In the centre sat a large dinning table, to the right was a kitchen fully stocked with supplies, bunk beds lay to centre left and right of the dining table. Towards the rear I could make out a laboratory and photographic darkroom. In the far left corner I recognized something I had seen before in a photograph. It was the bunk and desk of Robert Falcon Scott. An airy sensation ran down my spine as I looked around and recognized more features from the historic photos. From within these walls lay the memories of men whose adventure, discovery and endurance was on a magnitude I could hardly begin to imagine. I sat myself down on the floor and looked up into the rafters searching for the ghosts that haunted these walls.

The experience of visiting the historic huts left me awestruck for the next few days. It also made me appreciate the work and effort of the AHT team to protect these huts for future generations as a vestige of Antarctica’s heroic age and early explorers.

Video
A Visit to The Historic Huts of the Ross Sea Region

Slideshows
A Visit to The Historic Huts of the Ross Sea Region

Visiting the ANDRILL project

2007-12-09T22:12:00.003-08:00

After Antarctic Field Training (AFT) was completed I moved onto familiarizing myself with Scott Base and some of the projects being undertaken in the vicinity. One such project is known as ANDRILL (ANtarctic geological DRILLing).

ANDRILL is a multinational project to improve understanding of Antarctica's role in Cenozoic (65 million years ago to present) global change, through stratigraphic drilling of marginal sedimentary basins. The chief objective is to drill back in time to recover a history of paleoenvironmental changes that will guide our understanding of how fast, how large, and how frequent were glacial and interglacial changes in the Antarctica region. Future scenarios of global warming require guidance and constraint from past history that will reveal potential timing frequency and site of future changes. New Zealand, USA, Germany and Italy, are involved in the planning of ANDRILL. Visit the ANDRILL website at www.andrill.org.

The ANDRILL drilling platform is situated on the sea-ice about 50km away from Scott Base. To get there I joint a team of Antarctica New Zealand Board members onboard a Piston Bully tracked vehicle, similar to the ones they use on ski resorts to grade the trails.

We departed Scott Base early in the morning and began the slow journey out across the sea-ice. The Piston Bully, while extremely versatile and reliable in the polar conditions, does not exactly race along. With a top speed of about 25km per hour and with no suspension to speak of, the journey could be described at best as a bumpy slow amble across the sea ice.

To make up for the lack of comfort inside the vehicle, the views outside were spectacular. As we ventured across the sea-ice and away from Scott Base the Mt Erebus massif came into view with its smoking crater and crevasse-ridden slopes. Towards the continent lay the Royal Society Mountains, Mt Discovery and the Dry Valleys. After snapping my way through half of my digital camera’s memory card I noticed a tall white tent off in the distance. On closer inspection this I noticed a number of smaller colored tents scatted around comprising what looked like a Bedouin nomad camp in the middle of a white sand desert.

An hour later the Piston Bully rolled into the ANDRILL camp. The tall white tent, seen from a distance, turned out to be the drilling platform and the smaller colored tents, the camp for the project team comprising of ~30 people. We were greeted and invited into the camp and given pikelets with cream and jam. ‘Who said life is hard down in Antarctica?’

We then toured the camp setup and the drilling platform. Amazingly, the drilling platform resides on only 8m of sea-ice (it was designed to sit on only 2m) and is stabilized by massive airbags under the ice to stop it collapsing into the water below. The drill travels through the 8m sea ice and then through ~300 of seawater before reaching the ocean floor. This is where the drilling begins, but it’s not as simple as that, the team has to deal with the constantly moving sea-ice and daily tide fluctuations of up to 1.5m up or down. All of this adds up to a continuously moving platform on ice, which is also susceptible to melting and cracking.

Upon our arrival the ANDRILL team were celebrating reaching their target depth of 1100m into the seabed and had begun extracting a good quality core. The technology being utilized in the project was a combination of conventional oil/gas equipment, tools used in geological core extraction and hell of a lot of innovative and creative adaptation for the specialized and challenging conditions on the Antarctic sea-ice.

After a mind-boggling tour we returned to our Piston Bully and started the slow ride back to Scott Base. On our way back a small black dot came skittering across the ice in front of the vehicle. Much to our surprise, an Adelie penguin stood, not 20m away, in the middle of our track. We stopped the engine and climbed out of the cab. In abiding by the Antarctic Code of Conduct we walked to within 10m to observe the creature. For some strange reason the penguin promptly decided to ran directly towards me and came to a stop within an arms reach away from me. He stood there and pranced around, much to my delight, while I snapped some photos. After observing him for sometime we were called back to the vehicle to get on our way. But as I walked away my little penguin friend decided he wanted to follow me and as I climbed into the cab of the Piston Bully, he also came right up to cab entrance. As the engine flared up my little penguin friend dived away from the vehicle on his belly. But as we drove away I looked back and saw him sliding along on his belly after us until he just a dot on the horizon.

A visit to the ANDRILL Project

Antarctic Field Training.... going camping in the snow

2007-12-09T22:12:00.001-08:00

On arrival in Antarctica we were greeted and escorted to an awaiting truck by Yvonne Boesterling, the Coordinator of Scott Base. I tossed my bags in the back and crawled into the heated cab to escape from the frigid air outside. As we drove off I caught my first glimpse of the United States McMurdo Station and the little green huts of Scott Base off in the distance.

The truck left the sea-ice and drove up to McMurdo Station. The station was enormous, with an occupancy of up to 3000 people and resembling an Alaskan mining town with little aesthetic appeal. As we continued over the hill Scott Base came into view. In contrast Scott Base’s little green huts, all of which are interconnected, were quite pleasant. Compared to McMurdo Station Scott Base only holds 80 people during peak periods.

Inside Scott Base there was a frenzy of activity. I snuck into a corner and stripped off my cold weather gear, the temperature inside was a tropical 20 degree Celsius and a damned sight warmer than the average Dunedin student flat. I was shown to the mess hall and enjoyed a wonderful meal, complete with desert and coffee. After dinner I was given a tour of the base and a safety briefing before being shown to my room. Exhausted from the day’s travel, I collapsed in my bed and slept like a log until morning.

The next day Neil Gilbert, Roman Turk and I met with our instructor, Jason Whatson, for our Antarctic Field Training (AFT). This involves learning Antarctic survival and safety skills, along with Scott Base specific field protocols. The best part about the course is that we would get to go outside and camp in the snow.

The day began with a seminar about equipment and safety. In the afternoon we loaded up a Haglund tracked vehicle and departed for the AFT camp about 8km to the north on the Ross ice-shelf in the shadow of Mt Erebus. Here I learnt to pitch the mighty polar tents (a first for me) and dug an emergency snow shelter. In the evening, after a hot meal of the dehydrated form, I sat outside under the midnight sun and sipped at a cup of tea.

My attention was suddenly drawn to the south, along the route that Scott, Shackleton and Hillary must have embarked on all those years ago in pursuit of the South Pole. I imagined myself venturing off into that unending whiteness on a sledge, or in Hillary’s case a Massey Ferguson tractor!

That night my dreams were filled with images of the polar explorers and when I awoke in the morning I was certain I had traveled to The Pole and back in my sleep.

In Antarctica at last!

2007-12-09T22:11:00.000-08:00

The sound of an incoming text message wakes me from my slumber. I roll over and reach for my cell phone, taking note of the time on the alarm clock, its 5am.

The message on the phone reads “Flight delayed 3hrs, 9am pickup”. I jump out of bed and check the webcam at Scott Base on my laptop. The image loads slowly and I stare squinting at it, still half asleep. With no blue sky in sight I return to my bed convinced that today, like yesterday would present a further delay in our departure.

At 8am I pull myself out of bed and start gathering my things in the hope that I might at least make it to the airport today before being “boomeranged” back to my hotel to wait for the weather to improve.

I snatch another look at the webcam, but it’s much the same as it was earlier.

I drag my bags down to the driveway and a few minutes later Paul Woodgate appears in the big Antartica New Zealand van.

He jumps out and tells me, “today’s a flying day mate”, when I ask about the webcam he informs that it will improve over the course of the flight. With heightened spirits we drive off to the International Antarctic Centre to begin the check-in process before a scheduled departure at noon. On arrival at the centre a mass of other eager Antarctic travellers are gathering.

We then board a bus that takes us to the side of the giant, grey bird known as the US Airforce C-17 cargo plane.

It’s carrying two 13-tonne helium gas tanks, approximately 30 people and another 20 odd tonnes of baggage. This massive payload makes me hold my breath during takeoff.

Thirty minutes later and we are at cruising altitude. Midway through the five-hour flight the cabin engineer calls out over the speaker that we are welcome to go up to the cockpit and meet the pilots. I jump at the opportunity and join the queue to get a glimpse out the front window. It’s not every day you get to go to the cockpit of a C-17, especially since 9/11.

The hours pass by until finally some mountains appear on the distant horizon. As we get closer I notice that the mountains extend into the distance for as far as the eye can see.

Glaciers stretch in every direction, the great frozen continent is now below us and our destination is now in site. I return to my seat and fasten my seatbelt. The plane banks hard and begins the descent.

The plane touches down with a thud and a roar. After a long drawn out taxi the engines come to a stop and the cabin door opens.

I rise from my seat and fit my cold weather jacket, hats and gloves. I walk towards the door and look out across the Ross Sea and Ross Island. At last I have arrived. ANTARCTICA HERE I AM!

Check out my slideshow of the flight and a video.

Slideshow

Video

Early test for Ice enthusiast

2007-11-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

GEARED UP: the big chill of Antarctica holds no fears for Jay Piggott.
DAVID HALLETT/The Press

A mother's challenge to a headstrong teenager in the depths of an Otago winter put Jay Piggott on the path that is scheduled to take him to Scott Base today.

Piggott will travel south as the first Antarctic Youth Ambassador.
Piggott was 13 when his mother tried to talk him out of camping in a tent pitched in their Dunedin backyard. His response was to spend the entire winter sleeping in the tent each night, regardless of the weather or the temperature.
Within three years, he had climbed Aoraki-Mount Cook and over the last 10 years has managed to fit in climbing and skiing expeditions to Alaska, five Himalayan mountaineering expeditions, and travel to 60 countries across the globe while establishing a career as an ecologist at the University of Otago.
The enthusiasm Piggott showed to his mother also captured the imagination of Antarctica New Zealand and the Sir Peter Blake Trust, which run the youth ambassador scheme that was announced as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations at Scott Base.
Piggott's 10 days on the Ice will be spent taking part in a review of the way specially protected areas are managed in the Dry Valleys, an ice-free area near Scott Base.

By JOHN HENZELL - The Press | Tuesday, 20 November 2007

Next stop Antarctica..... BUT NOT TODAY!

2007-11-19T14:42:00.002-08:00

At 5:30am Paul Woodgate, Logistics Co-ordinator for Antarctica NZ, called up to inform me the weather at Scott Base is NOT co-operating and as such the flight has been delayed by 24hrs. It looks like today is not my lucky day and we will just have to try again tomorrow.

SCOTT BASE WEBCAMS

These images are sent from video cameras situated at Scott Base. The first camera is located in the Hillary Field Centre briefing room, looking towards the vehicle hitching rail, while the second camera is mounted on the lab at Arrival Heights.

Please reload your page to see the latest images - the Webcams update every 15 minutes.

Antarctic Weather Station

ANTARCTICA…….. HERE I COME!!!

2007-11-19T14:42:00.001-08:00

The Antarctica New Zealand Clothing store at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. Photo: Jay Piggott

Today I spent a number of hours with Chris Gilbert, Logistics Officer for Antarctica NZ, being kitted out in my Antarctic clothing. As one might have imagined this entails being fitted into an elaborate collection of extreme weather gear. However, while you might look like Kenny off ‘South Park’
, you don’t want your Antarctic attire to be upstaged by some Emperor Penguin wearing a tux. I have compiled a sideshow illustrating the multi-layered clothing system that I am required to not only take down to Antarctica, but also to wear on the airplane during the 5hour flight there!

(CLICK HERE FOR FULL SCREEN)

Tomorrow, if the weather in Antarctica co-operates, Dr Neil Gilbert (Environmental Manager for Antarctica NZ) and I will depart by C-17 aircraft for Scott Base in Antarctica.

Jay Piggott (Antarctic Youth Ambassador) and Dr Neil Gilbert (Environmental Manager for Antarctica NZ) outside the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. Photo: Rebecca Elliot

The purpose of our visit, which will be for the duration of 10days, will be to conduct a review of the management plan of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA). The Dry Valleys are a unique environment, both in Antarctica and globally. The 15,000 km2 area located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys contains the largest expanse of ice-free ground in Antarctica. This cold desert environment encompasses soils millions of years old, communities of unusual plants and micro-organisms, and special geological features. The Dry Valleys are also renowned for their spectacular scenery.

During our time at Scott Base we will also assist with the Aliens in Antarctica project. This project will assess the extent to which people unintentionally carry propagules (seeds, spores, eggs) of alien (non-native) species into the Antarctic region during the 2007-08 summer.

Watch this space for daily updates from The Ice.

Antarctic Quote of the Day:

"The continent has become a symbol of our time. The test of man's willingness to pull back from the destruction of the Antarctic wilderness is the test also of his willingness to avert destruction globally. If he cannot succeed in Antarctica he has little chance of success elsewhere." - Edwin Mickleburgh

Jay's in Antarctica

2007-11-18T02:21:00.000-08:00

Check out Jay's Antarctic Youth Ambassador Blog at:
www.antarcticyouthambassador.blogspot.com for daily updates from Antarctica.

Antarctica Time lapse: A Year on Ice

Climb and Fly- A fast descent from the summit of Mt Titiroa (1715m) in Fiordland NZ

2007-11-04T23:45:00.000-08:00

Young environmentalist will fulfil Antarctic dream

2007-09-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

Frozen delight... Jay Piggott (25), a Dunedin environmentalist, will soon make his dream come true by visiting the Antarctic.

JAY PIGGOTT, a Dunedin mountaineer, paraglider pilot, freshwater ecologist and environmentalist, yesterday became the inaugural winner of the Antarctic Youth Ambassador award.

The award was developed by Antarctica New Zealand in partnership with the Sir Peter Blake Trust. It was launched by Prime Minister Helen Clark, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Peter Blake’s son, James Blake, as part of 50th anniversary celebrations at Scott Base in January this year.

Enabling a young New Zealander to contribute to environmental work in the Antarctic, the award was formally presented at a function at Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World in Auckland last night.

Mr Piggott (25) was ‘‘absolutely stoked’’ with the award, which provided a ‘‘fantastic opportunity’’ for young people to visit the Antarctic and to participate in some real research.

‘‘I’ve always been passionate about the outdoors.

‘‘It’s really important to acknowledge the intricate links we have with our natural world and not take these things for granted, and not disallow future children from having the same opportunities that we had to explore the wild world,’’ he said in an interview.

Mr Piggott has travelled to more than 60 countries, combining adventurous exploits with ecological and humanitarian work. He has read about the frozen continent since he was a child, but has never been to the Antarctic.

‘‘It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to visit Antarctica but to have the opportunity to get involved in environmental work as well is just amazing,’’ he said.

Under the award programme, Mr Piggott will travel to the McMurdo Dry Valleys in the Antarctic, where he will assist with research for two and a-half weeks in November.

Early next year, he will give several public talks based on his experiences, and will help develop Antarctic-related Internet resources.

Mr Piggott grew up in Dunedin and attended Otago Boys High School.

He has a BSc in ecology and zoology from the University of Otago and is studying for an MSc in stream ecology through the Otago zoology department, where he is a research assistant and helps co-ordinate the department’s stream ecology research group.

Award organisers said he had extensive experience in the outdoors, including as a scuba diver and sailor, and was an internationally recognised youth leader for the environment. He was selected by the United Nations Environment Programme as a youth facilitator was also chosen as a crew member on the Japanese ‘‘Ship for World Youth’’ and has represented New Zealand as a youth ambassador for several important environmental conferences and networks.

Dr Neil Gilbert, the Antarctica New Zealand environment and outreach manager, said Mr Piggott was ‘‘an outstanding first recipient’’ of the award.

By JOHN GIBB Thursday, 20th September 2007

Symphony on skis....... well almost!

2007-07-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

Last week Steve France, Paul Prince, Magnus (from Norway) and I took off on a ski adventure from Fox Glacier Township to Mt Cook Village. A Helicopter proved useful to get us from the Fox Township onto the Glacier, after which we skied, walked, plugged, rappelled and fell before arriving at Mt Cook village 4 days later. Check out the sideshow of this adventure by clicking on the image above or CLICKING HERE.

My adventure through China and Tibet

2007-06-05T00:47:00.000-07:00

For the last five weeks Will Wetzel (USA) and I have been traveling and climbing through China and Tibet. Our adventure took us from the high peaks of the Gonga Shan/Minya Konka massif to the rice paddies and karst towers of Yangshou. You can view a slide show (with captions) telling our story by clicking HERE or on the above image.

Jay's Back!

2007-02-16T13:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Kauru Stream Channel experiment 2007.

Check out what we are up to at this link.

The 75th Anniversary of Mt Aspiring Hut

2006-10-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Otago Section of the New Zealand Alpine Club celebrated the 75th Anniversary of Mt Aspiring Hut on the 14-15th October 2006 at the Hut.

Footing it out on the Footstool

2006-10-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

Graham and I got out for a play in the snow last weekend. Upto Mt Footstool we went only to be blown back down the mountain by a strong Norwester at the base of the central couloir. Enjoy the pics!

An attempt on Mt Footstool

View as Slideshow CLICK HERE

GROWING UP IN NEW ZEALAND

2006-09-25T01:45:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about hide and seek/spotlight in the park. The corner dairy, hopscotch, four square, go carts, cricket in front of the garbage bin and inviting everyone on your street to join in, skipping (double dutch), gutterball, handstands, elastics, bullrush, catch and kiss, footy on the best lawn in the street, slip'n'slides, the trampoline with water on it (or a sprinkler under it), hula hoops, jumping in puddles with gumboots on, mud pies and building dams in the gutter. The smell of the sunand fresh cut grass.

'Big bubbles no troubles' with Hubba Bubba bubble gum. A topsy. Mr Whippy cones on a warm summer night after you've chased him round the block. 20 cents worth of mixed lollies lasted a week and pretending to smoke "fags" (the lollies) was
really cool!.. A dollars' worth and the sauce was free!!).

Being upset when you botched putting on the temporary tattoo from the bubblegum packet, but still wearing it proudly. Watching Saturday morning cartoons: 'The Smurfs', 'AstroBoy', 'He-man', 'Captain Caveman', 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles', 'Jem' (heeeeeeey it's faaaaaaat Albert'. Or staying up late and sneaking a look at the "AO" on the second telly, being amazed when you watched TV right up until the 'Goodnight Kiwi!'

When After School with Jason Gunn & Thingie had a cult following and What Now was on saturday mornings! When around the corner seemed a long way, and going into town seemed like going somewhere. Where running away meant you did laps of the block because you weren't allowed to cross the road?? A million mozzie bites, wasp and bee stings (stee bings!).

Sticky fingers, goodies & baddies, cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, riding bikes til the
streetlights came on and catching tadpoles in horse troughs.

Going down to the school swimming pool when you didn't have a key and your friends letting you in, drawing all over the road and driveway with chalk. Climbing trees and building huts out of every sheet your mum had in the cupboard (and never putting them back folded). Walking to school in bare feet, no matter what the weather.

When writing 'I love....? on your pencil case, really did mean it was true love. "he loves me? he loves me not?" and daisy chains on the front lawn. Stealing other people's flowers from their gardens and then selling them back to them...

Running till you were out of breath. Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt. Pitching the tent in the back/front yard (and never being able to find all the pegs). Jumping on the bed. Singing into your
hair brush in front of the mirror, making mix tapes...

Sleep overs and ghosts stories with the next door neighbours.

Pillowfights, spinning round, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for the giggles. The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon. Weetbix cards pegged on the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
Collecting WWF and garbage pail kids cards.

Eating raw jelly and raro, making homemade lemonade and sucking on a Rad, a traffic light popsicle, or a Paddle Pop... blurple, yollange and prink!

You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents! It wasn't odd to have two or three "best friends" and you would ask them by sending a note asking them to be your best friend.

You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas eve and tried (and failed) to
wait up for the tooth fairy. When nobody owned a
pure-bred dog.
When 50c was decent pocket money. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for 10c.
When nearly everyone's mum was there when the kids got home from school.
>>
>>It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb.
>>
>>When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at the local Chinese restaurant (or Cobb'n'Co.) with your family.
>>
>>When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed her or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
>>
>>When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.
>>
>>Basically, we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! Some of us are still afraid of
them!!!
>>
>>Remember when decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo" or dib dib's-scissors, paper, rock. "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in Monopoly.
>>
>>Terrorism was when the older kids were at the end of your street with pea-shooters waiting to ambush you, or the neighbourhood rottie chased you up a tree!
>>
>>The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was boy/girl germs, and the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one.
>>Where bluelight disco's were the equivalent to a Rave, and asking a boy out meant writing a 'polite' note getting them to tick 'yes' or 'no'.
>>When there was always that one 'HOT' guy/girl.
>>
>>Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot. Your biggest danger at school was accidentally walking through the
middle of a heated game of "brandies".
>>
>>Birthday beats meant you didn't want to go to
>>school on your birthday!
>>
>>Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better. Taking drugs meant scoffing orange-flavoured chewable vitamin C's, or swallowing half a Panadol. Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Going to the beach and catching a wave was a dream come true. Boogie boarding in the white wash made you the next Kelly Slater.
>>Abilities were discovered because of a "double- dare".
>>
>>Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.
>>
>>Now, didn't that bring back some fond memories??
>>
>>If you can remember most of these, you're an Kiwi legend!!! Pass
>>this on to another Kiwi legend who may need a break from their "grown up" life... I DOUBLE-DARE
YA!!!!!

The return to Fox Peak

2006-09-10T00:22:00.000-07:00

A weekend away with members of the Otago Section of the New Zealand Alpine Club in search of a few well earned ski turns on the last of the snow for the season.

OSNZAC Fox Peak Ski Trip

Sep 10, 2006 - 21 Photos
View the Slideshow

Copland Hotpools

2006-09-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

Copland Hotpools

Aug 30, 2006 - 44 Photos
View as Slideshow

A weekend of Sun and Snow

2006-08-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I had a leisurely stroll around the sea cliffs at Karitane with Eva, Sarah and Linda. Then on Monday I headed off with Gerry Closs for a day of backcountry skiing on the Old Man Range in Central Otago.

A trip to Karitane

Aug 26, 2006 - 12 Photos
View the Slideshow

Old Man Range Ski trip

Aug 28, 2006 - 25 Photos
View the Slideshow

A portrait of the Silverpeaks

2006-08-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

The Silverpeaks

Aug 19, 2006 - 8 Photos
View as Slideshow

Ice Climbing at Wye Creek

2006-08-07T00:14:00.000-07:00

ICE ICE BABY.............

Over the weekend I got into Wye creek to see how the ice was forming up.

We arrived at Lake Alta at 7am on Saturday morning

The Lake Alta ice was truely sun baked and falling apart.

So Graham Johnson, Andrew and I headed off on skis and snowshoes over to Wye Creek to see what we could find.

From across the valley the ice looked fat and most routes looked well formed.

We arrived at the base of the Wye Pillar to find "Krusty" (Julian White) climbing with his friend Graham from Wanaka. A few minutes later Pat Devol, her sister and a few friends arrived in a HELICOPTER!!!

Meanwhile I set off up a pillar and proceeded to scare myself shitless as a 2m block of ice detached and thundered to the base where it exploded into a cloud of snow and ice crystals.

After that I backed off the pillar and opted to climb something a little more solid.

And so i set off..........

Up...

....Up....

....and away

Getting HIGH on ICE!

We skied and snowshoed back out to the Remarkables Ski Field and headed off for a beer in Queenstown.

And spent Sunday cragging in Wanaka.

OUTC BUSHBALL 2006- Fire and Ice

2006-07-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

Another year, another Bushball. This years theme was "Fire and Ice" and was attended by 70 keen OUTC'ers who marched en mass to Mt Aspiring hut in the Matukituki valley.

Setting off from the Raspberry Creek carpark on Saturday morning

Flying the Otago Flag

OUTC'ers marching en mass

Stopping for a cock-tail stop

Another year for the old crusties; Jay, Steve and Paul still going strong

The Patron (Jo Prince) preparing her final speech

Rich and Elke, Fireman meets Princess

Paul doing the usual introductions for the Patron, this time his sister.

A three course meal with endless Champagne

Elke in her Princess ball gown

What a surprise.... a Polar bear and a Penguin. I guess i am a Zoologist afterall!

Two Thumbs Range ski trip and Rex Simpson Hut

2006-07-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend 11 OUTC'ers (Otago University Tramping Club) and I headed up to the Two Thumb Range on skis and snowshoes. The snow was soft and fluffy and we carved up some great turns. We were privilaged enough to have the Rex Simpson Hut to ourselves courtesy of Elke, Anne & Gottlieb Braun-Elwert of Alpine Recreation Ltd in Tekapo.
(Photos of the weekend coutesy of Aidan Young)

Carving it up backcountry at Ohau

2006-07-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend six intrepid skiers and I went up to Ohau in search for some fresh powder tracks on the back side of the Ohau ski field….. and that was exactly what we found!

Fresh tracks...... nothing else compares!

Nick(ola), Kyle and Graham looking East from the top of the ridge

Jolyon fixing his skins

Skiing along the Ohau skyline

Skiing along the Ohau skyline

Skiing along the Ohau skyline

Aaron skiing down to Dumbell Lake

Kyle, Aaron and Nick(ola)

Aaron Skiing down to the Lake

Jolyon feeling content after some fresh turns

Skining back along the skyline to return home after a day of good back country skiing

The view looking west towards Mt Ward up the Hopkins Valley

Big Hut and the Rock and Pillar Mountain Range

2006-07-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend I headed off with Graham Johnson (USA) and Jolyon White (NZ) for a relaxing weekend trip snowshoeing up on the Rock n' Pillar Mountains west of Dunedin City. Interestingly these mountains are officially part of the "City of Dunedin" and rise up some 1400m above the township of Middlemarch about 40min from Dunedin downtown.

We departed Dunedin city at 7:30am on Saturday and drove to the foot of the range.

Here we packed our bags and began the 1000m climb through the tussock grasslands and into the alpine.

As we climbed the wind picked up carrying spin drift with it.

The view looking East towards Dunedin city was splendid.

Towards the summit the weather was fast deteriorating.

We arrived at the hut (named BIG HUT) as the gale increased and wind speeds picked up over 100km per hour.

We ventured out into the wind, but it stung our eyes and skin within seconds.

We awoke on Sunday morning to a fine day. The wind was still blowing strong, but it was bearable.

We departed the hut on snowshoes and headed for the summit.

Upon the summit the wind continued to howl.

We took a group photo.

And enjoyed the view looking west.

Then we departed and headed back to the hut and then down to the car.

Skiing with Yew Jin at Fox Peak and Mt Dobson

2006-07-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Yew Jin and I headed up to the Canterbury mountains and skied Tele and AT at Fox Peak and Mt Dobson. Conditions at Fox Peak proved marginal with only one rope tow opperating and icey conditions. Mt Dobson on the other hand offered fresh powder with every lift operating with fantastic skiing. While i worked my Tele turns Yew Jin worked his AT turns managing to keep upright and on his feet for most of the day.

Fitting skis in the Fox Peak carpark

The Fox Peak out house

Fox Peak ski field with snow on it!

Canterbury mountains.

Fox Peak Ski Field

The road up to Mt Dobson

Yew Jin getting low on his Tele skis

A weekend with my sister Ansa

2006-07-03T00:11:00.000-07:00

On route back from a holiday in China my sister Ansa decided to pay her old (younger) brother a visit in Dunedin. We spent a delightful few days together exploring some of Dunedin's wondrous places, including a trip out to see the Yellow eyed penguins on the Otago Peninsula.

My sister Ansa.

Harbor Cone from Alan's Beach

A Yellow Eyed Penguin approaches from the ocean.

Ansa trying her best to climb like her bro does.

A winter wonderland

2006-06-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past three weeks the New Zealand South Island mountains have been blessed with some of the best snow falls in recent memory. Over the weekend i got away to Mt Cook to put in my first turns for the NZ ski season on the Anette Plateau back country.

Camp on the Anette Plateau

Fresh turns coming down from Meuller Hut

Snow coverage to Mt Cook Village and beyond

A safe return from Pakistan

2005-09-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

Jay and his team members from the International Uli Biaho Expedition 2005 have now safely returned from their expedition in Pakistan. The expedition suceeded in completing a new route on Trango II that the teamed named "Severance Ridge". CLICK HERE for the Expedition Website.

2005-09-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

Jeremy “Jay” Piggott (24) is a freshwater Ecologist at the University of Otago in Dunedin. Jay first made headlines in

New Zealand

when he became the youngest person to climb Mt Aspiring (SW Ridge, grade 3+, 3027m) at age 15. Jay went on to represent New Zealand rock climbing at the Commonwealth Festival of Youth Sports in Scotland, 1997 and last year led the International Uli Biaho Expedition 2005, in the Karakoram Mountains of

Pakistan

. However Jay’s achievements are not solely in the realm of mountaineering. His adventurous travels have taken him to 60 countries around the globe on various expeditions and adventures. Jay is an avid rock climber, mountaineer, paraglider, scuba diver and world traveller. Jay has often combined his adventurous exploits with ecological and humanitarian work for organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme in Africa, Mother Teresa’s Missionary in

India

and the United Nations ‘Ship for World Youth’ sailing around the globe spreading the message of peace and international co-operation. Jay’s climbing achievements in New Zealand include The Grand Traverse (3+) of Mt Cook (3754m), East Face (4+) of Mt Sefton (3150m) and the South Face Central Coulouir (5+) of Mt Douglas (3077m). Jay has also climbed extensively in Thailand, Nepal, Scotland, Canada and Alaska where he and Sam Johnson completed the first ascent of Paikea’s Journey (IV+, WI5, M5) on Thunder Mountain and first ascent of Divine Providence (V, WI4, M6) Mt. Providence (Click for details of climb). Jay also finds time to pass on his passion for the mountains as the Advanced Alpine Instruction co-ordinator for the Otago Section of the New Zealand Alpine Club. To download Jay's resume CLICK HERE.

2005-05-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Beware! Route beyond this point is suitable for experienced trampers only. Weather conditions may deteriate repidly be prepared.

2005-05-09T15:29:00.001-07:00

The SILVER in the peaks

2005-05-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

A top The Gap with fresh snow

2005-05-09T15:28:00.002-07:00

Bunking down in the ABC cave... not a bad wee get away!

2005-05-09T15:28:00.001-07:00

Kabab anyone?

2005-05-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

A nice fire at the end of the day with a cold beer. What more could you ask for.

2005-05-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

Rocky Ridge

2005-05-09T15:26:00.002-07:00

Crusing the ridge tops with a view of the Pacific ocean in the behind

2005-05-09T15:26:00.001-07:00

Rosella Ridge

2005-05-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

Richard, Rowan, Althea and Will discover the magic of the Silver Peaks

2005-05-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

I decided to take off for a wee walk around my backyard. The Silver peaks back onto Dunedin city and offer fantastic tramping opportunities.

2005-05-09T15:24:00.001-07:00

El presidenta and the first lady

2005-05-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

The amount of snow punctured a hole in one of the tent flys

2005-05-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Kelvin under the tent fly got a bit more snow than he bargined for. Everyones boots frooze over night and we had a fun time thawing them out the next day.

2005-05-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Then it snowed

2005-05-09T15:21:00.001-07:00

Great grainite boulders dot the skyline of Mt Titioroa

2005-05-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

We took off to Mt Titioroa for a Bushcraft instructional training course with OUTC

2005-05-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

The old man is still getting older

2005-05-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

2005-05-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

So its Yew Jin's 30th Birthday and he is getting older and uglier by the minute.....

2005-04-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

I shot these great Green Bone fish the other day along with some Abalone and Kina, i packaged all this up and sent it to my grand father in Malaysia.... what a nice grandson.

2005-04-11T00:11:00.001-07:00

BLAH

2005-04-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

Coming down..... 50m rope DAMN... luckily rope stretch got us down.

2005-04-11T00:10:00.001-07:00

Where to from here? Pitch 8 to go......

2005-04-11T00:10:00.000-07:00

Out on a limb, the Dart valley below.

2005-04-11T00:09:00.001-07:00

Yew Jin on pitch 5 still thinks he has big muscles.

2005-04-11T00:08:00.000-07:00

Jay begins the ascent of pitch 3

2005-04-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

The monsters at the bottom of "Ravages of Time"

2005-03-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Ecology 313 Feild School

2005-03-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

After a rather wet and rainy Easter myself, Yew Jin, Mel and Will took off to the Catlins for a surf trip. Everything was going well until we found that the beer was missing.......

2005-03-23T23:58:00.002-08:00

Cushion feild

2005-03-23T23:58:00.001-08:00

Green Lake

2005-03-23T23:58:00.000-08:00

Spainard

2005-03-23T23:57:00.000-08:00

The world

2005-03-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

Mordor awaits

2005-03-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Surfing

Welcome to Jay's World

2005-03-11T23:45:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Jay's World, a strange and mysterious place filled with wild people and wild places.