Two-Week Polar Expedition to the North Pole

Things to know

• Why should I book with 57hours?

  With us, it’s all play and no work for you! 57hours is an open platform that connects you with trained and certified outdoor adventure professionals all over the world. Using our tech-savvy, we make it super easy to find and book adventures worth tackling, with guides worth booking, all gathered from the first-hand experiences of the locals who adventure in these amazing locations.

• What’s included?

  What you get in this adventure:

  • A certified IPGA Polar Guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  • A 9-day guided polar expedition, in addition to 5 or 6 days of prep, travel, and optional activities
  • Meals included at the Barneo campsite
  • During the expedition, the meals have been prepared in advance in dehydrated form
  • All the logistical gear you need
• What equipment is provided?

  All of the logistical equipment and some of the personal technical equipment will be provided by your guiding service, including:

  • GPS & location beacon
  • Pulkas with a large storage bag
  • Draw harness
  • Ski poles
  • Tents
  • Tent brush
  • Snow pegs
  • Insulating mattress
  • Self-inflating mattress
  • Pool sleeping bag
  • Snow shovels
  • Rope
  • Carabiners
  • Ice axe
  • General parts and repair kit
  • Ski mask
  • Fur collar
  • Cooking fire & fuel
  • Eating utensils
  • 1.5L isothermal water bottle

  If you have your own equipment, feel free to bring it.

• What do I need to bring?

  Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:

  Personal equipment:

  • Day pack large enough to carry all the items listed (around a 35L bag)
  • Solid waterproof bag or backpack (60-70 L)
  • High quality sunglasses
  • Sewing kit with needles, thread, buttons, safety pins
  • High index sunscreen and lip balm
  • Headlamp like Petzl® + spare batteries
  • Four to five waterproof bags of different sizes to compartmentalize your belongings
  • Toiletries (2 toilet paper rolls, biodegradable wipes, pee bottle)
  • Food you can eat on-the-go
  • Camera — optional

  Clothing list:

  • Waterproof jacket like Gore-Tex®
  • Face mask (neoprene works best)
  • Waterproof over-trousers like Gore-Tex®
  • Thick fleece jacket
  • Sweatshirt or thinner micro-fleece jacket
  • 2 pairs of fleece pants
  • 4 long sleeve thermal t-shirts
  • 2 pairs of thermal tights
  • 2 pairs of thin thermal socks
  • 3 pairs of warm socks
  • Thermal balaclava
  • Fleece balaclava
  • Fleece neck scarf
  • 3 pairs of thermal gloves
  • 3 pairs of fleece gloves
  • Thick wool mittens
  • Fur-lined mittens
  • Over-gloves
  • Extreme Planet Polar boots + Madshus skis + climbing skins (rentals available)
  • Waterproof tent booties for inside the tent
  • Regular walking shoes for prior and after the expedition

  Medical supplies:

  • Any prescription you require
  • Pain, fever: Ibuprofen
  • Antibiotics: Pristinamycin (2 boxes per 1 treatment 8d), Amoxicillin + clavulanic acid
  • Analgesics: Paracetamol 500mg
  • Corticosteroids: Solupred 20mg
  • Antidiarrheals: Smecta (prepare a dozen bags), Intetrix (treatment of amoebiasis), Imodium
  • Antiemetic, gastric dressings
  • Antihistamines (for bites, skin rashes…)
  • Antiseptics: Betadine, Biseptine
  • Ointments: Anti-inflammatory
  • Biafine
  • Powder Antimycotics (feet): Econazole, powder and ointment
  • Eye Drops: Antibiotics, Anti-Irritation
  • Set of adhesive bandages and some sterile gauze pads
  • “Double skin” dressings for bulbs
  • Elastic adhesive tape (like Elastoplast)

  This list will be finalized and clarified while preparing it finely with Dixie Dansercoer.

• What’s the itinerary?

  Day 1:

  • Arrival at Longyearbyen, where you’ll meet your guide, Dixie
  • You’ll have a briefing about your adventure
  • Spend the night at an inn or hotel

  Day 2:

  • Today is preparation day!
  • You’ll go through an equipment and gear inspection

  Day 3:

  • After a final gear check, you’ll load the equipment and fly to a floating base on the Arctic Ocean
  • If a helicopter drop isn’t necessary, you’ll leave right away and pitch your tents for the night

  Day 4:

  • This is the day when your expedition starts
  • Depending on the weather conditions, you’ll either head to the ski base or be dropped off by a helicopter

  Days 5-11:

  • For the next 9 days, you’ll be skiing for 10 hours a day, traversing for approximately 9.5 miles (15km) per day

  Day 12:

  • If the weather allows it, this is the day when you reach the North Pole!
  • From here, a helicopter will take you back to the basecamp with much appreciated heated tents

  Days 13-14:

  • Depending on the Antonov aircraft rotation, you’ll fly back to Longyearbyen
    You’ll unload your equipment and enjoy a well-deserved rest

  Days 14-15*:

  • You can choose to stay for an extra day and try out ski kiting, or say farewell to Dixie and take your flight back home
• What is the level of difficulty?

  This program is rated extreme due to the distances covered, the isolation, and the climatic and environmental conditions, particularly wind and ice. Significant prior experience is necessary in a similar environment in either a polar or mountainous setting. Each participant is responsible for applying safety rules, for his/her equipment and its upkeep, for setting up camp and preparing meals.

  This polar environment, a reflection of the Far North, is unforgiving. For security reasons, Dixie reserves the right to cancel or shorten the expedition, modify his program according to weather forecasts, snow conditions, based on the physical or psychological form of the participants, without notice. Any disability or medical problem (even minor) must be reported upon registration. Failure to follow these instructions may result in the cancellation or the
  interruption of the expedition. No refund can be made on these grounds.

• How fit do I need to be?

  This two-week North Pole expedition will challenge you both physically and mentally, thus you need to have an excellent fitness level. At the start of your expedition, you’ll be pulling a sled that weighs close to 176 pounds (80 kilos). You can expect to spend anywhere from 5-10 hours a day traversing on terrain that requires your full attention for a total of 70 miles (111km), in extreme temperatures of -4°F to -22‎°F ( -20‎°C to -30‎°C). This expedition will test you to the fullest, which only makes it more satisfying to complete!

• What is the minimum age requirement?

  The minimum age requirement for this expedition is 16 years old. If your party has teens younger than 16, contact us prior to booking.

• What about group sizes and pricing?
  • Rates for the North Pole Polar Expedition are $57400 per person
  • Group sizes are usually between 4-10 people per guide
• What about bad weather?

  An important skill needed for enjoying polar regions is flexibility. This applies to dealing with weather and ice conditions, as well. Preparation is key. Your guide will make sure you’re properly equipped prior to the expedition. Rest assured you’re in good hands. Your guide has extensive knowledge of the area and climate. They’ll know just what to do if the weather takes a turn for the worst.

• Do I need an insurance policy?

  It’s highly recommended that you cover all your bases with travel and medical insurance. Serious accidents can happen in polar terrain. We recommend insurance to avoid paying out of pocket for costly medical expenses. And as we’ve recently seen, travel plans can be abruptly halted, so it’s a good idea to have cancellation insurance that also covers lost baggage as well. Travel insurance is tried and tested, and it works.

  For this adventure, repatriation and health insurance is mandatory. Documentation must be presented upon registration for the program. Any health problems should be declared at the time of registration. Otherwise, any subsequent cancellation will not be refunded.For information, in 2016 Liberty Insurance of the Liberty Mutual Group offered an interesting coverage that works for these latitudes. Its cost is fairly reasonable, 270 euros for 2 weeks. This insurance covers up to 150,000 € of expenses as follows:

  • 100,000 € for helicopter and airplane
  • 50,000 € for medical expenses excluding chronic diseases or those already known to the patient (limited to 1,500 €) or dental care (150 €)
• Cancellation policy

  Given the particular nature of this program, any cancellation at any time following your registration generates significant costs, which can represent 100% of the expedition price. The specific cancellation policy described below supersedes all other cancellation policies described in other documents or websites.

  In general, any cancellation must be notified to us and to your insurance company by written means, which will allow you to have a confirmation receipt. It is the date of issue that will be retained as the cancellation date for billing cancellation fees. A non-refundable amount of 500 € per person will be retained for administrative expenses. A non-refundable cancellation fee will be calculated from a percentage of the total expedition cost, depending on the number of days between the date of cancellation and that of the departure: from 60 to 31 days: 25%, from 30 to 21 days 50%, from 20 to 14 days: 75%, within 13 days of departure: 100%. In addition to the cancellation charges mentioned above, for any transportation that we would take on your account and issue upon registration and/or dates imposed by the transportation companies, will be charged a cancellation fee that may be equal up to 100% of the price of said tickets depending based on the cancellation conditions imposed by said companies. For any hotel reservation or other services subject to different cancellation policies, including coaching, car rental, logistics, authorization fees will be charged a cancellation fee equal to 100% of the price of the services based on the cancellation conditions imposed by the providers. The customer will be informed of the specific conditions of cancellation prior to registration.

  Finally, since the price per person is based on a group composition, cancellations may incur additional charges for the remaining participants. If these costs cannot be offset by the registration of new participants in time, the participant who cancels would be obliged to pay these fees to allow the remaining participants to leave under the same tariff conditions.

  In case we would have to cancel the trip, failing to meet the minimum number of participants, you will be notified at least 60 days before the departure date. If this is the case, or if the trip has to be canceled due to an act of God, an alternative expedition would be proposed or a refund of amounts paid. In the case of a cancellation on our part, for any reason whatsoever, the external costs incurred by the clients such as transportation costs to get to the starting point of the trip, visa costs, travel documents, vaccination costs may not be refunded.

  We recommend taking a cancellation insurance that could address the issues raised, especially in the case of health problems. If you wish, we can examine how EXPEDITIONS UNLIMITED may offer a satisfactory insurance.

• Getting there and meeting location

  You’ll meet your guide Dixie in Longyearbyen, Norway. From there, you’ll take an Antonov AN-74 flight to Barneo, the floating base on the Arctic Ocean. Once you’re at the base, you’ll either start your expedition by skiing to the ski base or be dropped off by a helicopter. The same helicopter will take you back to the Barneo base, where you’ll catch a flight to Longyearbyen.