Spanish Army personnel began intensive training in the Aragonese Pyrenees on Monday, preparing for their participation in the upcoming Spanish Antarctic Campaign. The training, which will continue until March 27th, is taking place near the Candanchú military shelter in the municipality of Aísa, Huesca province.
Eleven of the thirteen members of the team for the XL Antarctic Campaign have assembled for the initial phase of joint preparation, following completion of the selection process, medical evaluations, and the provision of specialized equipment. According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, the primary objective of this initial gathering is to provide the soldiers with both theoretical and practical knowledge.
The training is designed to equip the military personnel with the skills necessary to operate safely in mountainous terrain and under harsh conditions – including cold temperatures, snow, and ice – although also strengthening team cohesion ahead of the Antarctic mission. Participants will assess and practice using individual mountain equipment, undertake marches with varying loads, and receive instruction in snow and glacier progression techniques using snowshoes and crampons.
The program also includes training in environmental management, health prevention, first aid, and evacuation procedures. The Ministry of Defence emphasized that the high-altitude environment is intended to replicate, in part, the extreme conditions they will encounter in Antarctica.
Once deployed, the team will face temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius, winds reaching up to 70 kilometers per hour, and a unique geographical environment, including proximity to an active volcano. The contingent is destined for the Spanish Antarctic Base “Gabriel de Castilla,” located on Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands, approximately 100 kilometers from the Antarctic continent and over 1,000 kilometers from the nearest South American coastline.
The team comprises specialists in satellite communications, maintenance, navigation, food services, environmental protection, snow mobility, and medicine. They will provide support for scientific research, continuing a long-standing tradition of the Spanish Army’s involvement in Antarctic missions.
