The Ice Team members have all reached the North Pole before, so the project was not about getting to the Pole, but rather about securing relevant scientific data. The choice of route had been dictated by the need to obtain the maximum amount of data possible along a scientifically relevant transect. The North Geographic Pole was the natural end point. The team travelled on foot, hauling sledges from 81°N 130°W, across 1,000-km of disintegrating and shifting sea ice, for around 100 days, in temperatures from 0ºC down to -50°C.