Summercamp – at one time, it served as an extension refuge for the aging dome, and when the new station was built, it expanded the housing and service capacity for everyone. Today, Summercamp is still in use, but it’s age is showing. Half of the Korean War-era Jamesways and newer Hypertats that make up most of the structures are vacated, and snow has started to creep in everywhere. Among the still-used buildings are the gym and climbing gym, the slump, and a solar toilet or two.

More Summercamp resources:

• South Pole Steve discusses living at Summercamp
• Inside the summer camp non-smoking lounge (a Jamesway)

A few photos from the aging and soon to be abandoned and demolished area…

Approaching from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Altie Meadows, central Summercamp

Decomissioned Jamesways and Hypertats

Snow begins to creep in

What remains inside

**Update 2012-12-13**
Bill Spindler, of SouthPoleStation.com writes in with a bit more information on the state of Summercamp:

The reason some of the Hypertats look…er…somewhat disassembled is that they’ve been that way for years. The four Hypertats were put up closer to the station in the late 90s when they were used for extra berthing…construction folks lived in them for a couple of winters. But they were all abandoned and buried (rather deeply by the time I showed up for my 2005 winter). They were dug out and moved in 2009-10, two of them (the ones that now have the PV panels) were put where they are now…the other two were moved to the End of the World (you can see all four of them in some of the photos on this page: https://southpolestation.com/0910/aerials/fall1.html )

The two disused ones were moved from the EOTW to their current location earlier this year (replacing Jamesways that had been on the same site).

…

I really didn’t think there was a plan to tear the place down just yet…well, I do have my sources, these things take planning, budgeting, etc., and who knows, some massive new science project like IceCube could yet materialize and require lots more people than the station can house. Actually this sounds somewhat like what I had to deal with in 1976 when (after a slow season the year before) the summer camp was required, and we had to build a new one after the fire destroyed the “construction camp” used to house folks who built the new (domed) station.

Thanks Bill for your update – always enjoy reading what’s going on at SouthPoleStation.com