First day at Princess Elisabeth Station

By Hugues Goosse

In addition to its elegant design, Princess Elisabeth Station is quite comfortable. You have the feeling to be in a nice mountain hut. The common room has a very friendly atmosphere and large windows to enjoy the landscape. The kitchen is well equipped and the food excellent.

Princess Elisabeth Station

The internet connection is a bit slow and you cannot exchange big files but can still be in contact with the external world without big troubles.

There are of course special rules. For instance, even though there is no specific dangerous area in the surroundings, you should not leave the base without informing other people.

View from the common room

The station is also a zero emission base that limits the waste and energy consumption. The energy is produced by windmills and solar panels. It is thus necessary to take care of the consumption and plan the operations that have high demands, such as washing machines, when energy is available.

The water is also recycled in a sophisticated way. The water that is used by the kitchen and for shower goes to different tanks were bacteria degrade the waste. This means for instance that you cannot use your own shampoo and, if you shave, the hairs has to be put in a special sink as they are not ‘eaten’ by the bacteria.