Undertaking expeditions to the North and South Poles, as well as other remote regions of the world, presents a unique set of challenges. These environments are difficult to access, requiring extensive logistical planning that involves specialist transport, weather-dependent schedules, and coordination across multiple agencies. Additionally, the financial cost of such expeditions is substantial, with expenses often reaching into the hundreds of thousands. Despite these obstacles, the opportunity to explore some of the planet’s most extreme and untouched landscapes continues to attract explorers, researchers, and adventurers from around the world.
However, experiencing cold conditions similar to those in Antarctica is now possible due to more accessible locations. With simpler logistics, winter expeditions to these environments no longer carry the high costs typically associated with polar expeditions. While still demanding, these areas provide an opportunity to explore harsh, icy landscapes at a fraction of the price. From remote Arctic regions to high-altitude areas, there are now more affordable ways to take on winter expeditions.
The Arctic Circle has long been a proven training ground for polar expeditions, often providing conditions that are as cold, if not colder, than those encountered on larger polar expeditions. Locations such as Svalbard, Finnmarkvidda, and remote areas in Sweden like Sarek offer a level of isolation that is both accessible and ideal for preparation.
With just a day's travel from the UK, you can find yourself on a frozen lake, skis on, crossing a vast expanse of ice. Whether it's one of the great lakes in North America or Lake Inari in Arctic Finland, these destinations are surprisingly accessible and offer a genuine sense of remoteness, with temperatures dropping as low as -40°C.
Preparations for our expedition to ski the full circumference of Lake Inari, covering 200km, began in early 2024, with the expedition itself scheduled for the beginning of March 2025. Lake Inari proved to be relatively easy to access, with a quick three-hour flight to Helsinki, followed by a connecting flight to the small town of Ivalo. From there, it was just a short taxi ride to our accommodation, where we would stay during our rest days before and after the lake crossing. Ivalo was the ideal base for picking up essential supplies, including fuel for our stoves and food to supplement our daily rations of Expedition Foods.
From Ivalo, we took a 40-minute taxi ride to the edge of Lake Inari, in the village of Inari, which would mark the starting point of our expedition. The temperatures were unusually mild for this time of year, hovering around zero degrees. This made skiing quite challenging, as the heat generated by cross-country skiing became difficult to manage. Fortunately, thanks to my Outdoor Research Foray 3L jacket, equipped with large pit zips, I was able to release enough heat to make skiing more comfortable.
From the start, we navigated along the shoreline, with the route often taking us toward the centre of the lake, offering a 360-degree view of nothing but a vast, frozen expanse. It’s in these moments that you truly feel like you're on a polar expedition. For shelter, we chose the Nortent Gamme 4, a tent spacious enough to house our bulky Arctic gear, including sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and, when needed, our pulks. Each night, we began by melting enough snow for the evening ahead, which provided us with vital drinking water. We stored this in insulated flasks, with enough left over to prepare our freeze-dried meals. The tent offered the comfort we needed while also providing the strength to withstand changing weather conditions, should they arise.
We had planned for the expedition to take ten days, with two spare days built in in case the weather had other ideas. As we travelled further north across the lake, the temperatures began to drop noticeably. One morning, we recorded a low of -20°C. On day seven, we woke early to find ourselves in a complete whiteout. There are varying degrees of whiteout conditions, but typically they make it nearly impossible to distinguish the ground from the sky, which can make navigation extremely challenging. Not impossible, but definitely more difficult. We chose to remain tent-bound until the snowstorm passed, which wasn’t until the early hours of the following morning. That downtime in the tent gave us a chance to catch up on personal admin, tending to our feet, taking on extra calories, and simply resting while listening to music.
The Gamme 4 handled snow loads extremely well. Like other geodesic designs, it shed the weight of accumulating snow efficiently, which proved to be a major advantage as we did not need to set alarms during the night to clear snow from the tent. The further we travelled into more remote areas, the colder it became. For me, the greatest challenges on trips like this are often mental rather than physical. Mornings in particular require a strong dose of motivation. Getting out of a warm sleeping bag and stepping into the cold to begin the laborious task of melting snow for an hour, just to prepare water and food for the day, is never easy. It is in those moments that the ability to manage discomfort and push through small but persistent annoyances becomes more important than physical endurance.
With the end finally in sight, it was the perfect time to reflect on another successful journey through the Arctic. Lake Inari is a truly beautiful place. Once away from the town itself, and beyond the reach of snowmobile tour groups, we found the remoteness we had been searching for—vast icy landscapes beneath pastel skies. Although we did not encounter the extreme temperatures of our Norway crossing, where it dropped to -33°C, the days that dipped into the low -20s still gave us the sense of challenge and isolation we were after.
Our next winter expedition will take us to Great Slave Lake in Canada, where we hope to complete a full crossing. Until then, we'll be daydreaming of sub-zero adventures.
Here’s a selection of the gear we used on our expedition, all of which you can find over on the Valley and Peak website. We’ve highlighted the pieces that really stood out to us. Kit we’ll definitely be turning to again for future cold weather trips.
NORTENT GAMME 4
The Nortent Gamme 4 strikes a great balance between space and portability, especially when you consider how much protection it offers. With five poles crossing at seven points, the structure feels solid and reliable, even in rough weather or heavy snow. It’s free-standing too, which makes pitching easier on uneven ground. It really does feel like carrying a small cabin in your pulk. The design is inspired by traditional Norwegian shelters, and you can tell. It’s built to handle the elements.
BIG AGNES CAMPMEISTER DELUXE SLEEPING PAD
The Big Agnes Campmeister Deluxe is easily one of the most comfortable pads I’ve used for cold-weather camping. With an R-value of 7, it’s built for proper winter nights, and the quilted stretch top feels soft and quiet to sleep on. Ideal for when you just want a proper night’s sleep in the tent. It’s tough too, with a recycled nylon build and solid construction that holds up well trip after trip. If you’re after warmth, durability and comfort in one setup, this one’s hard to beat.
OUTDOOR RESEARCH FORAY 3L JACKET
The Foray 3L jacket quickly became a favourite on my ski trip thanks to its balance of breathability and protection. The AscentShell fabric is lightweight, flexible, and moves easily with you, which makes a real difference on long days on the ice. When things got a bit warm, the TorsoFlo venting system was a game changer, it let me dump heat quickly without fully opening the jacket. Made from 100% recycled nylon and treated with Nikwax Direct.Dry, it kept me dry and comfortable the entire time, even in heavy snowfall.
BLACK DIAMOND GLISSADE GLOVES
The Black Diamond Glissade gloves became a real workhorse on my ski trip and winter camp. I used them for everything from pitching the tent in freezing winds to operating the stove with ease. The goat leather palm with Kevlar stitching gave me a solid grip, whether I was handling poles or fiddling with gear. They’re warm too, thanks to the Thinsulate insulation, and the windproof Pertex Shield outer and waterproof inserts meant I never had to worry about the conditions. A reliable glove for cold weather adventures and hard use in the snow.
NITECORE SUMMIT 10000 -40 POWERBANK
Super impressed with how the Nitecore Summit 10000 performed. It charged all my kit perfectly, even when temps dropped to -20°C. The carbon fibre build and low-temperature resistance clearly make a difference. I can’t wait to put it through its paces in -40 and see how it holds up. Definitely a solid bit of kit for cold weather trips.
SUUNTO VERTICAL TITANIUM SOLAR GPS WATCH
We uploaded our full route in sections to the Suunto Vertical Titanium Solar so that each day we were navigating only the part we needed, which made things much simpler. The Suunto Vertical’s maps are really intuitive, showing everything from contour lines and key features such as islands that dotted the lake, and you can choose from three different map styles. Best of all, everything works offline, which gave us real peace of mind when we were out in the middle of nowhere.
