The Sidewinder is not a drill but is a drive/lifting system used in conjunction with the hand augers. It is driven by an electric motor (power hand drill) and a winching system to help in both lowering and retrieving the drill string. The power hand drill is also used to spin the hand auger barrel during drilling.
In 2024, IDP began deploying a new version of the Sidewinder known as the Sidewinder V2. The new Sidewinders use a Hilti battery-powered drill for operation, and are lighter weight and more user-friendly. The original Sidewinder units utilized a corded Milwaukee drill and required a generator and variac for operation. Those units are now being retired.
The Sidewinder extends the maximum practical depth of coring with a hand auger to about 30 m. The Sidewinders are typically operated by investigators without assistance from IDP equipment operators. Instruction on use of the Sidewinder is offered to investigators before they deploy to the field, an instruction manual is provided with the Sidewinder, and helpful instructional videos can be found below in the 'Video' section.
Equipment Details
| Name | Sidewinder Power Drive |
|---|---|
| Type |
Type
Power unit for hand augers
|
| Number in Inventory |
Number in Inventory
5
|
| Max. Practical Depth |
Max. Practical Depth
30 m
|
| Hole Diameter |
Hole Diameter
[NA]
|
| Ice Core Diameter |
Ice Core Diameter
[NA]
|
| Ice Core Length |
Ice Core Length
[NA]
|
| IDP Driller Required? |
IDP Driller Required?
No (while 1 person can operate the Sidewinder, a 2-person crew helps share the labor and speeds up the cycle time)
|
| Power Requirements/ Source |
Power Requirements/ Source
2 kW generator or solar cells |
| Estimated Drilling Time |
Estimated Drilling Time
5 m - 2 hours |
| Time to Move (Breakdown and Setup) |
Time to Move (Breakdown and Setup)
<1 hour |
| Helicopter Transportable? |
Helicopter Transportable?
Yes
|
| Light Aircraft Transportable? |
Light Aircraft Transportable?
Yes
|
| Shipping Weight |
Shipping Weight
180 lbs |
| Shipping Volume (Cube) |
Shipping Cube
6 (does not include generator or hand auger) |
| Comments |
Documents
| Citation | Year |
|---|---|
| NSF Ice Drilling Program (2026) IDP Sidewinder Operations and Maintenance Manual. 1-16. | 2026 |
| Vladimir Aizen, Christine Foreman, Andrei Kurbatov, Erich Osterberg, Eric J Steig (2011) 10 year plan for Shallow Coring Capabilities (1-400 m deep). 2011 Ice Drilling Science Community Planning Workshop, April 15-16, 2011, Herndon, Virginia, USA, 1-5. | 2011 |
| Jay D Kyne, Joseph McConnell (2007) The SideWinder for powering a hand-coring auger in drilling and lifting. Annals of Glaciology, 47, 101-104. doi: 10.3189/172756407786857721. https://doi.org/10.3189/172756407786857721 | 2007 |
Photos
Using the Sidewinder at Allan Hills, Antarctica, for the NSF Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) project. Photo credit: Jenna Epifanio, COLDEX.
Testing the Sidewinder system at Summit, Greenland, during the 2024 field season. Credit: Andrew Haala, IDP.
Testing the Sidewinder system at Summit, Greenland, during the 2024 field season. Credit: Andrew Haala, IDP.
Testing the Sidewinder system at Summit, Greenland, during the 2024 field season. Credit: Andrew Haala, IDP.
Shipping weight includes generator but not hand auger. 130 lb shipping weight without generator.