A technician at the foot of the station holds a large evacuation sock into which a person is lowered. Once a month, all the staff carry out an emergency evacuation of the station using a ?sock?. The idea is to let yourself slide down a tube of fabric that slows your fall to such an extent that you can even stop yourself by spreading your arms and legs. A technician is waiting for us at the bottom to assist with the last metre of the descent. Concordia Antarctic Research Station, Dome C plateau, East Antarctica.