While in McMurdo we also do a little training as part of a two-day shake-down trip. The purpose of the trip is to try out the equipment we have and to familiarize the field team with various aspects of life in the field; setting up the tents, handling a snowmobile, etc. One aspect of this training that is a lot of fun is practicing crevasse rescues. Whenever thick, cold, brittle ice is forced to change speed or direction, the likelyhood it will fracture increases, and there are often significant crevasse fields surrounding meteorite stranding surfaces. This image shows two field party members practicing the techniques necessary to rescue someone who may have fallen into a crevasse.