We spoke with Wayne White about his work as Winter Manager at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station for three winters in four years. As the manager he was responsible for the health and safety of the crew of 42, the station and all science assets in one of the most severe environments on the planet. Winter runs from mid-February to early November and during that time, he experiences nearly 5 months of total darkness and cold lower than -100 F/-73C. During this time he set a world record by walking 4300 miles. In Spring 2022 he will be publishing his book “Cold” about the time he spent in one of the most challenging places on Earth.
Prior to his time in the United States Antarctic Program USAP, he was a Defense Department contractor. For over 20 years he specialized in remote assignments, living and working at Diego Garcia British Indian Ocean Territory BIOT, Singapore, Midway Atoll, Shemya Island Alaskan ans, Iraq, Kuwait, Wake Island, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Ascension Island. Prior to that, he was involved in expedition type travels to New Guinea, the Amazon and Africa.
Out of all his work his biggest honour is being Winter Manager at the South Pole.