By Water and Ice – Nuclear Icebreaker Yamal

Powered by a 75,000 horsepower engine, the Russian icebreaker Yamal is the very latest in ice breaking technology. The ship leaves from Murmansk, Russia, and is the only icebreaker currently taking tourists to the North Pole.

• $23,000 to $39,000 depending on occupancy (standard, double, private) - These 16-day trips (mid-June to early August) leave from Murmansk and cross the Barents Sea, breaking into Arctic pack ice up to 5 meters thick. You’ll see polar bears, walrus, beluga whales, sea birds, and other wildlife, and helicopter tours are available from the ship. Once you get to the Pole, you’ll have the opportunity to explore a bit and then return via Franz Josef Land, an archipelago of 191 mostly unexplored islands.
• $23,000 to $39,000 depending on occupancy (standard, double, private) - This is the same trip as above, for the same price. However, this trip leaves from Helsinki, Finland. Round trip flights from Helsinki to Murmansk are included in the price.

Dogsled And Ski

• $37,500 – 12-day Last Degree Trip
• $44,500 – 17-day Last Two Degrees Trip

Both trips include either a 5-day dog sled training course in Minnesota in January, or a 3-day dog sled training course in Longyearbyen just prior to the expedition. The cost also includes guides, food, a satellite phone call home, and all group gear. You are responsible for your own cold-weather expedition clothing and gear: skis, boots, poles, sleeping bag, etc. Everyone helps drive the sleds, prepare food, set up camps, and care for the dogs. Once you arrive at the North Pole, the group celebrates with champagne, pictures, and an overnight campout. The next day, you’re picked up by helicopter, returned to Borneo Ice Station, and then flown back to Longyearbyen.

Ward Hunt to North Pole Trip - Billed as the “Everest of North Pole expeditions,” this trip is offered by NorthWinds, a company owned and operated by world-class polar guide and Baffin Islander Matty McNair and her two adult children, Sarah and Eric. The trip is priced at $350,000, to be divided equally among a maximum of four paying customers. You will leave from Iqaluit in March for a training trip, and then fly to Resolute and on to Ward Hunt (a small island just north of Ellesmere Island). From there, you will set off on the professionally-guided tour, mushing dog teams across 478 miles of windblown, shifting pack ice. You will ski 6 to 8 hours a day, and handling the dog teams and sleds will require enormous strength and stamina. You should allow 52 days to complete the entire expedition, including training and preparation time. Cost: $87,500

Novelty Trips

Skydive the North Pole (3-6 day trip, depending on weather) - Clothing and gear are not included. There are almost no restrictions on skydiving at the North Pole. If you are experienced and have your own gear, you can jump solo. If you need a tandem dive, arrangements can be made, but give the company plenty of notice and be prepared to pay extra. If you go with the Russian company and your group is large enough to warrant a plane this size, you will fly 5 hours from Moscow in an Iluyshin-76, jump out over the Pole, spend a few hours there, and then a helicopter will fly you to the ice station. From there, you’ll take your plane back to Moscow. Cost: $14,750 (Moscow) to $25,800 (Norway)