News
By Allie Griffin
Published
Jan. 26, 2024, 2:54 a.m. ET
A car mechanic from Colorado opted to leave his position at a car dealership in the United States for an unconventional job in the South Pole, which is known as the coldest place on the Earth.
Jeff Capps, aged 33, relocated 9,000 miles across the world for a position in Antarctica, where temperatures often drop below negative 60, and half of the year experiences total darkness, according to SWNS.
In 2019, when he learned of the job, he promptly applied for the mechanic role at the US government-owned Amundsen-Scott South Pole research station, and he has never looked back since.
Capps said, “One day an old friend came by and said they needed a mechanic to work on snowmobiles in the South Pole – I thought ‘sign me up!'”
He mentioned that one of the major attractions of the job was that it requires only six-month stints in the South Pole, which means half of the year results in “pretty much zero expenditure.”
Even in the freezing temperatures, Capps indulged in an outdoor photo shoot mimicking a day at the beach. Jeff Capps / SWNS
He likened the unusual job to being deployed on a ship because of its isolation from the outside world, with the nearest shop located approximately 2,000 miles away.
“We call it our spaceship, as it’s 700 miles from the next nearest research station,” he told SWNS. “We’re totally isolated from everything.”
However, similar to living on a ship, the 43 people living and working at the self-sufficient station have all the necessities inside the facility, including chefs who prepare their meals.
Furthermore, the 43 workers and researchers develop a close-knit community during the six months of working and living together, with minimal interaction from outsiders.
Temperatures near the South Pole station, described as “the coldest, driest, windiest place on Earth” by NOAA, average a bone-chilling negative 60 degrees in the winter, and Capps often has to work outdoors to repair trucks and snowmobiles used by the crew.
Capps took advantage of the cold temperature and performed a trick with water during one of his six-month-long stints. Jeff Capps / SWNS
The mercury once dropped to a shocking negative 76 degrees while the mechanic was working in the winter weather.
“In winter it’s crazy outside – it’s always dark as the sun sets once a year so it’s six months daylight then six months darkness,” Capps said.
Even with the darkness and isolation, Capps considers the social life on the job as one of the best aspects. The mechanic referred to the parties at the station as “legendary” and even met his partner, Michelle, at the station two years ago.
The six months of downtime has allowed Capps and Michelle — who works in catering at the station — to travel all over the world together. They have visited New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Dubai, the UAE, Yemen, and are currently in Oman, according to SWNS. They plan to return to work in Antarctica next year.
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