From March 27th to April 2nd, 2026, Fjällräven Polar once again will bring together 20 people from across the globe for a 300km dog sledding expedition across Arctic Scandinavia, and we’re inviting anyone curious enough to apply for a place on the team. If you earn a spot, you’ll learn to drive your own dog sled through vast frozen landscapes, experiencing a world completely different from your own. You’ll also learn essential survival skills and adapt to life in the Arctic, where temperatures can drop to minus 30°C. We believe anyone can become an Arctic explorer. This once-in-a-lifetime adventure proves it.

Cold, windy and dark, far, far away from home… and I’ll enjoy it?

We believe you will. Following the Fjällräven mission to inspire people to move with nature, this expedition demonstrates that with the right knowledge, equipment, and support, anyone can become an Arctic explorer, regardless of previous experience.

What to expect during Fjällräven Polar 2026

The 300 km expedition starts in the Jukkasjärvi area of Swedish Lapland, around 17 km east of Kiruna, where participants are given all the training and essential survival skills they need. Here, they also meet their team of six dogs, whom they look after for the duration of the journey. Then, they set off, driving their dog sled across barren tundra, frozen lakes, and mountain forests.

The route takes participants through Sevujärvi, Kattuvuoma, Råstojaure, and Pältsa – one of Europe’s largest areas of permafrost – before finishing at the edge of the Norwegian fjords in Signaldalen. Teams spend several nights sleeping in a tent or under the open sky. They learn to feed and manage their dogs, set up a winter camp, cook outdoors, live in temperatures as low as minus 30°C, and adapt to constantly changing winter conditions which can be harsh and unforgiving. Though most of the work is done by the participants throughout the expedition, they receive support from an experienced Fjällräven team and mushers.

Inspired to inspire others: A short history of Fjällräven Polar

The seed for Fjällräven Polar was planted back in the early 1990s when Fjällräven Founder, Åke Nordin, met one of Sweden’s leading dog-sled drivers who had participated in the world’s most famous sled-dog competition, the 1,700 km Iditarod in Alaska. When Åke heard about this adventure, he got an idea. Why not make it possible for ‘ordinary people’ to get a taste of something similar to the Iditarod? He decided to develop his own version, with professional backing, in the Scandinavian Arctic. It would challenge participants and provide an opportunity to test Fjällräven products in the extreme Nordic winter conditions for which they were intended. From 1997, for almost a decade, Fjällräven Polar followed the Iditarod example: it was a race.

For almost a decade, Fjällräven Polar operated in a race format, but eventually it was determined that the competition and glory of winning could overshadow the inspirational elements of the event. In 2012, a reconceived Fjällräven Polar was back and this time the focus was not on racing. It was simply for people curious about the experience. Though taking a group of relatively inexperienced people into one of the world’s harshest environments may have felt unwise, we believed this adventure was for everyone. Happily, we were right. The updated event was a success, most notably because of the spirit of the first participants. They showed that with guts and gusto, guidance and support from experts, and high-quality cold-weather gear, anyone could take on the challenge of Fjällräven Polar.

Since 1997, the lucky folks who have participated in Fjällräven Polar have faced everything from blizzards and minus 35°C temperatures, to witnessing the beautiful, sun-drenched landscapes of the Arctic tundra. So have the hundreds of thousands of people who have followed the journey from home. Every year, thousands visit the Fjällräven Polar website, apply for the chance to join the all-expenses-paid journey, and experience the highlights and challenges alongside the participants on our social media feeds. After all, at its core, Fjällräven Polar is far more than a dog-sled expedition. It’s an opportunity to inspire people to move with nature – no matter the weather or the conditions.

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