I want to go to the North Pole - how and what to go on a trip

Once upon a time, reaching the North or South plus of the planet was considered a feat: and quite rightly so. Such a journey could cost (and often did!) the life of a daredevil. However, today the situation is completely different: anyone can get to the top of the planet absolutely safely. Moreover, depending on the thickness of the wallet, and with comfort. And if the South Pole is relatively far from most states, then the North Pole is almost nearby. And how to get there?

On the icebreaker

This is the most convenient way to admire the northern latitudes, being in comfortable conditions and without endangering your life and health. The Russian icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy provides a similar service. The nuclear-powered ship, capable of autonomous navigation for many months and breaking through ice 2,5 meters thick, inside resembles a five-star hotel: cabins, rooms, decorated with wood, a swimming pool and a sauna, restaurants, bars, a gym and a disco, a library - entertainment for every taste !




The cruise program includes not only a visit to the "crown" of the planet, but also a stay in the unique national park of the Russian Federation "Russian Arctic". This includes the north of Novaya Zemlya, as well as some of the Franz Josef Islands. Almost all animals and vegetation of the harsh Arctic are “collected” here: seals, seals, narwhals and polar bears, gulls and black goose. You won't see anything like this anywhere else on the planet.




In just five days of travel, your smartphone navigator will show the coordinates 90 °, 00 minutes and the same number of seconds. And if there is a compass, then it will behave “inadequately”, having lost its landmark. Although it must be added that in this case you reach the "physical" pole, and not the magnetic one. Upon arrival at the place, the ship will “moor” at a suitable ice floe, on which those who wish will descend. Usually it is a kilometer or two from the coveted point. The most desperate can even plunge into the waters of the Arctic Ocean.

By plane

Who was the first to fly over the "crown" of the planet? The debate continues today. In 1926, a three-engine aircraft named "Josephine Ford" (after the daughter of the main sponsor of the project, Henry Ford) took off from the islands of Svalbard. On May 9 of the same year, after 15 hours, the aircraft returned. However, it was not possible to get any intelligible answer from the pilots. Experts, given the characteristics of the aircraft and the prevailing weather conditions at that time, doubted that the Americans had reached their goal. But the airship "Norway" flew over the "crown" of the planet on May 12.05.1926, 1937. But the second attempt, a few years later, ended in tragedy. After that, until 7, mankind did not try to reach the extreme northern latitudes. Against the background of these events, the flight of the Soviet ANT-XNUMX, piloted by Pavel Golovin, somehow remained unnoticed.



A military reconnaissance officer “routinely” flew over the Northern Plus on May 5, 1926, about which he reported to his superiors. It was 4 days before the launch of the American plane "Josephine Ford"! Therefore, it is quite fair to assume that the Soviet pilot flew over the northernmost point first.

Fly today

To do this, you first have to get to the Russian Arctic station "Barneo". The name of the base is only one letter different from the southern resort of the same name. Well, here is the well-known craving of Russians for original humor: for example, in the Arctic, where the temperature of -40 ° is considered “comfortable”, there is the village of Afrikanda.

The Barneo camp is set up every year in a suitable place for 30-40 days. For this, an ice floe is selected (requirements: 2 km long, 1 km wide and two meters thick) at a distance of about 100 km from the North Pole. The purpose of the expedition is to study flora, fauna, and the atmospheric ozone layer. There is nothing like it in any other country in the world.

Why do planes almost never fly over the North Pole?

Indeed: it seems to be obvious that it is faster to get to many points from one hemisphere to another. In practice, flights over the North Pole are very rare. Why? There are many factors, and the first of them is a small number of settlements where it makes sense to organize routes. The Russian North, like the Canadian North, is sparsely populated. Getting passengers on a whole plane is a problem, that is, flights are not economically viable. The second "nuisance" is ... the rotation of the Earth. By the time the aircraft reaches the North Pole, the planet will have completed almost half a revolution. It turns out that time passes, but you are not approaching the place of arrival, and in theory you can generally be above the place of start at a time when you should already arrive at your destination. And the autopilot will not help here in any way, as a result, all the fuel economy and time goes down the drain.


And one more, the most important point - failures of devices when they are near the magnetic pole of the Earth. Few people know that even with a normal flight at a ten-kilometer altitude, the Geiger counter will begin to respond to an increased radiation background. Unlike, for example, submarines, the aircraft is not protected from cosmic radiation in any way: you can check it yourself in flight.

Moreover: at high altitude, the atmosphere is saturated with cosmic particles, which is why aircraft engines overheat and simply fail. In the 90s, when we were "friends" with the United States, Russian IL-96s flew to America via the North Pole.


However, after several cases of engine failure, the route was closed. Catastrophes were avoided only because the Russian airliner had four engines, and not two, as on modern "economical" aircraft. So, going up the ladder, count how many engines are on "your" plane)).

By helicopter

If you have reached Barneo, there is very little left: the Mi-8 helicopter will take you to the desired goal. Flight time - up to 40 minutes.


Here they will wait for you: you can swim, dive into the ocean or “just” jump with a parachute. The trip will cost around 23 thousand euros.

Пешком

Also an option, but the most expensive and, to put it mildly, uncomfortable. It is best to start from the same Russian station "Barneo". The crossing will take several days and only well-trained skiers can overcome this path. You will have to spend the night in a tent, but under the guidance of a qualified guide. The journey will take at least 17 days. And if your strength is running out, the same helicopter will take you back. If you stubbornly want to get "home on foot" the whole adventure will take almost a month - 26 days. But at the same time, they will “look after” you and will not leave you in trouble.

Summary

Traveling to the North Pole is a cool idea that some people dream about, and some people transform it into reality. Our Arctic is a truly unique place that is waiting and already accepting tourists from all over the world. Don't you want to travel?