Duration & Season: April 13 – April 27 (15 days)
Continent: N/A – The middle of the Arctic Ocean!
Country: Departs from Longyearbyen, Norway
Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
Conditions: Temperatures -20°C to -40°C & 24hr daylight
The North Pole Last Degree Ski stages out of Longyearbyen, Norway, where we meet for gear checks and spend a few days training and practicing key skills in Svalbard before flying onto the ice.
The ski itself covers the last degree and is short in duration (approximately 60 nautical miles or 112km) but high intensity. You can expect to ski for about 8-10 hours each day, pulling a heavy sled before setting up camp and resting.
It takes approximately one week to reach the North Pole.
Route:
As a ski across moving sea ice, the Last Degree North Pole doesn’t have a fixed route and changes from season to season and even day to day. Part of the adventure is navigating the ice drift and cracks in the ice, which lead to open leads of water that we must traverse around to reach the North Pole at 90° North.
Special Considerations:
Special Considerations:
- Cold management is vital on this expedition and requires state-of-the-art polar apparel and equipment
- Self-sufficient expedition towing sleds with supplies
- Navigating obstacles to find suitable routes through pressure ridges and around open water.
- Ice drift
It is very important for you to know that this expedition is true adventure travel in every sense of the word. Given the seasonal variation and the nature of sea ice, there is a significant chance that the trip won’t proceed as expected (or even at all). Expect delays at the very least and be prepared for them—this is not the exception; it is the rule.
Participants must be ok with this uncertainty when they sign up for the expedition. This environment, the infrastructure that the subcontractors put in to make this trip possible, and the nature of the trip are all constantly changing. We will do the best we can to manage all of these situations and move forward with the expedition, but nothing can be guaranteed.
Any expenses above and beyond what is outlined in our “What’s Included/What’s Not Included” section arising from delays, 3rd party infrastructure, season cancellations, etc., are to be covered by you and your insurance.
