North Pole Ski & Dog Expedition
52 day expedition
Plus 1 week training & preparation
Dates: March, April, May
(Final dates depend on Twin Otter charter availability)
Cost: $350,000 CAD + GST (2004)
(Divided by number of clients)
Maximum Group Size: 4 plus guide(s)
Note: Pricing may change depending on air charter costs
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The North Pole is the Everest of Polar expeditions. Early explorers such as Nansen, Peary and Cook spent the better part of their lives striving to reach the North Pole using dog teams. Surrounded by sea ice and in total darkness for half the year, the Pole is attainable only during a short ‘window’ of time: March to May. If too early, darkness and extremely cold temperatures prevail. If too late the Arctic Ocean is transformed into a watery enshrouded pack of drifting sea ice. We will travel and live on the polar pack ice, navigate over pressure ridges, search for routes around open leads of water and camp on multi-year pans of ice.
North Pole expeditions start in Iqaluit with a training and shake-down trip to build the team, get to know the dogs and test clothing & equipment. From Iqaluit we fly north to Resolute on a scheduled flight and, weather dependent, continue by Twin Otter to Ward Hunt Island, a small island just off northern Ellesmere Island. From Ward Hunt to the Geographic North Pole is 416 nautical miles (770 km) of pack ice. This ice is always shifting; leads crack open and pressure ridges build into massive walls of ice chunks. To add to the challenge of it all is the extreme cold temperatures often below -40 C. Challenges aside, an expedition to the top of the world with dogs is an amazing experience. It is difficult to describe the beauty of the soft light, the variety of snow crystals and the ever-changing colors of the ice.
Prerequisites: Must be in excellent physical condition and in good health. Basic cross country ski skills and winter camping experience is required. We will ask you for a detailed resume of your health, physical fitness, skill level and previous expedition experience before accepting you on the expedition. You must also obtain evacuation insurance.
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North Pole expeditions are a combination of mental attitude, physical stamina and skills. You must be in top physical condition with a mental determination of steel. Cross-country ski skill is a must for efficient polar travel. You can expect to ski for 6 to 8 hours per day, shove & push the dog sled up and over many pressure ridges and help care for the dogs at night. If you are a person who embraces challenges and has a sense of humor when the going gets tough, the North Pole expedition will be your “Everest.”
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