What do you think?
Rate this book
Life on the Ice: No One Goes To Antarctica Alone
A collection of fascinating stories drawn from the author's various experiences in Antarctica offers insightful depictions of the colorful characters who come to Antarctica, as well as descriptions of the humorous bureaucracy of the bases on the continent. By the author of Cold Beer and Crocodiles. Original.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
3 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 19, 2012
I think Big Dead Place: Inside the Strange and Menacing World of Antarctica just got kicked off my 'favorites' bookshelf.
Smith's book describes exactly why I want to go to this barren land and does a much better job at capturing the idiosyncrasies of Antarctic life than Johnson's work does. My reasons for wanting to go to Antarctica are the same as Smith's: "...the opportunity just to be here, to plant your boot soles on Antarctic rock, see the pristine whiteness and cloudlike mountains spreading out from your dormitory window, and claim McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as your address, however briefly, is a powerful draw card..." (67) I am the woman he writes about who traveled from Alaska to be a janitor: "'I would have taken any job at all,' she told me. 'It may only be cleaning toilets, but those toilets are in Antarctica. That was enough for me.'" (67) And it's surely enough for me.
(Smith characterizes "the sorts of people who are keen to work in Antarctica are likely to be adventurous, outdoorsy, and troublesomely independent" (187)--I don't know if I'd quite describe myself this way!)
I desperately want to "look up to see the Milky Way sprawling across the sky in vast stellar clouds" (111) in a place "the Edwardian world regarded as the Last Place on Earth [that] has become a convenient low-budget alternative to outer space and stepladder to the outermost reaches of the universe." (113)
Reading this book has made my desire to go even stronger, and I just need to find a way to make that happen, even knowing the pitfalls of the continent: "Much of the time Antarctica comes to us as an exquisite wonderland, a magical place of purity, peace, and otherworldly splendor, done up in the softest and most heavenly of colors and untouched by sin, but on bloodless mornings...you realize how misleading that all is. Beneath the pretty snowscapes and elfin mountains, this is a ruthless place. The hush in the air isn't blessed tranquility; it's conspiratorial silence." (191) "You could love Antarctica, but it would never love you back. There was no way of ever really getting close to this strange land, although perhaps trying to do so was one of the things that draws people back year after year after year." (201)
I still want to go.
Fun things I learned:
* An old British base was given up to the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust instead of being torn down. The base was restored and is now a tourist attraction.
* A Scottish company has devised an 'authentic Antarctic tartan,' done in white, blue, black, and orange—"the colors of Antarctica and its penguins." (185)
Smith's book describes exactly why I want to go to this barren land and does a much better job at capturing the idiosyncrasies of Antarctic life than Johnson's work does. My reasons for wanting to go to Antarctica are the same as Smith's: "...the opportunity just to be here, to plant your boot soles on Antarctic rock, see the pristine whiteness and cloudlike mountains spreading out from your dormitory window, and claim McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as your address, however briefly, is a powerful draw card..." (67) I am the woman he writes about who traveled from Alaska to be a janitor: "'I would have taken any job at all,' she told me. 'It may only be cleaning toilets, but those toilets are in Antarctica. That was enough for me.'" (67) And it's surely enough for me.
(Smith characterizes "the sorts of people who are keen to work in Antarctica are likely to be adventurous, outdoorsy, and troublesomely independent" (187)--I don't know if I'd quite describe myself this way!)
I desperately want to "look up to see the Milky Way sprawling across the sky in vast stellar clouds" (111) in a place "the Edwardian world regarded as the Last Place on Earth [that] has become a convenient low-budget alternative to outer space and stepladder to the outermost reaches of the universe." (113)
Reading this book has made my desire to go even stronger, and I just need to find a way to make that happen, even knowing the pitfalls of the continent: "Much of the time Antarctica comes to us as an exquisite wonderland, a magical place of purity, peace, and otherworldly splendor, done up in the softest and most heavenly of colors and untouched by sin, but on bloodless mornings...you realize how misleading that all is. Beneath the pretty snowscapes and elfin mountains, this is a ruthless place. The hush in the air isn't blessed tranquility; it's conspiratorial silence." (191) "You could love Antarctica, but it would never love you back. There was no way of ever really getting close to this strange land, although perhaps trying to do so was one of the things that draws people back year after year after year." (201)
I still want to go.
Fun things I learned:
* An old British base was given up to the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust instead of being torn down. The base was restored and is now a tourist attraction.
* A Scottish company has devised an 'authentic Antarctic tartan,' done in white, blue, black, and orange—"the colors of Antarctica and its penguins." (185)
May 6, 2011
This book kept me eagerly reading, sometimes late at night. It was hard to put down because of its fascinating description of the various places in Antarctica. The author captures the history and culture of this surprising continent including at many of the bases he visits. He writes extremely well with captivating details, and some spots were laugh-out-loud hilarious. If I wasn't completely sure I wanted to visit Antarctica, I am sure now.
July 19, 2008
I was very entertained and amused at times about the author's trips to the Antarctic. Although a harsh place, it seems to have its beauty and wonder. I recommend this as an interesting and informative, as well as entertaining book.
October 27, 2019
“You could love Antarctica, but it would never love you back.” Roff Smith wrote this sentence in his wonderful book Life On The Ice: No One Goes to Antarctica Alone. This book was the second I tried about “modern” Antarctica as I seek to learn about that aspect of my Dad’s life. The other one was drivel. This one was majestic.
Smith, like my dad, dreamed of visiting the ice from childhood. This book recalls each of the author’s three explorations. For the first he joined a Russian freighter to visit Australia’s main bases. For the second he flew to McMurdo and The Pole. He returned to the sea for the third trip that skirted the coast south of Tierra del Fuego.
It’s an engaging read that provided a window into the hard-working and fun people of the southernmost continent as well as its incomparable fauna, flora, rock, and ice. I have some other books about Antarctica in the hopper; they were written by members of official expeditions. I’m grateful I read this one first.
Smith, like my dad, dreamed of visiting the ice from childhood. This book recalls each of the author’s three explorations. For the first he joined a Russian freighter to visit Australia’s main bases. For the second he flew to McMurdo and The Pole. He returned to the sea for the third trip that skirted the coast south of Tierra del Fuego.
It’s an engaging read that provided a window into the hard-working and fun people of the southernmost continent as well as its incomparable fauna, flora, rock, and ice. I have some other books about Antarctica in the hopper; they were written by members of official expeditions. I’m grateful I read this one first.
May 22, 2020
2 stars: the lowest finishable rated book I can read.
I kept waiting for Smith to go on adventures (other than just simply being in Antartica) and they never happened. Learned a little bit about the dynamics of life in Antartica, but the book could have been much shorter if he stopped endlessly talking about how the snow was white and the glaciers were big and the air was cold and the isolation was unworldly and the people were passionate.
I kept waiting for Smith to go on adventures (other than just simply being in Antartica) and they never happened. Learned a little bit about the dynamics of life in Antartica, but the book could have been much shorter if he stopped endlessly talking about how the snow was white and the glaciers were big and the air was cold and the isolation was unworldly and the people were passionate.
October 10, 2023
I loved it - interesting read and good writing, but also could be because Caleb is going soon!
March 8, 2018
This was fun. Lots of quirky, interesting tidbits about the human elements of Antarctica and good side stories. Smith knows he's not the most interesting thing about the story, which is generally appropriate for travel literature, and neither tries to foreground himself nor erase the fact that all these fascinating experiences are filtered through his eyes. He is pleasingly enthusiastic about all the things he's privileged to see and learn and do on his Antarctic journeys, and his enthusiasm allows him to do them justice.
April 11, 2012
This is a 3.5 star book for me. Roff Smith is a very good observer of the people who choose to work in Antarctica. He focuses more on their personalities and what they do for fun than their scientific endeavors. He visits several different base camps and some even more remote field camps.
His descriptions of the landscape are evocative, although I did find myself wishing there were photos to accompany the text, particularly since he was sometimes travelling with a National Geographic photographer.
Some contemporary accounts of trips to Antarctica make extensive use the early explorers for context. While he makes note of them, Smith doesn't dwell on them, which I found refreshing.
His descriptions of the landscape are evocative, although I did find myself wishing there were photos to accompany the text, particularly since he was sometimes travelling with a National Geographic photographer.
Some contemporary accounts of trips to Antarctica make extensive use the early explorers for context. While he makes note of them, Smith doesn't dwell on them, which I found refreshing.
June 9, 2013
Though I don't usually read non-fiction, I found this book to be really enjoyable. I did not know much about Antartica before reading Life on the Ice but before I knew it, I had learned a lot. I had to smile at his description of the penguins! This book is great for those hot summer days, it transports you to another world. For me, it took a few chapters to get into it but when I finished it, I shared it with my husband. He was able to get into it right away and loved it.
September 22, 2016
2.5 stars. This one was just ok. The author captured to some extent the strange allure of Antarctica, but I found his complaints about the U.S. Antarctic program a bit much (according to him the program is "Orwellian" and run by "martinets"), considering his trip was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of the World's Most Mysterious Continent by Gabrielle Walker is a much more enjoyable read about the mystery that is Antarctica.
February 25, 2010
I read in a magazine that this was a great book to read, so I am checking it out. Needed a non-fiction break from all the drama books I have been reading...
This book really piqued my interest in Antarctica, I am doing all kinds of Google searches and looking up images on Wikipedia :) It was fascinating, but a scientific and very fact-based book. A nice break before I read some junky fiction!
This book really piqued my interest in Antarctica, I am doing all kinds of Google searches and looking up images on Wikipedia :) It was fascinating, but a scientific and very fact-based book. A nice break before I read some junky fiction!
September 26, 2012
A great way to end my Around-the-World-in-80-Books challenge. The final continent - a place very inaccessible and hostile. The author makes several trips, and describes what he finds there; not just the ice/mountains/penguins, but the people as well. I was surprised by how many tourists he encounters. It's a sort of ultimate prize for well travelled retired Americans. Seventh continent? Check!
October 31, 2014
Would have loved to see photographs, even though his descriptions were beautiful.
March 25, 2016
A great look into a fascinating place!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews