First winter expedition to the North Pole

According to Official Guinness Records,

Matvey Shparo and Boris Smolin (both Russia) began the earliest winter expedition to the North Pole on 22 December 2007, the day of winter solstice, from the Arktichesky Cape, the northern point of the Zevernaya Zemlya Archipelago. They reached the North Pole on 14 March 2008, eight days before the vernal equinox, the official beginning of the polar day.
During this period, there is complete darkness.They were hauling the sleds of 160 kg each and the only light source was the light of their head lamps. They endured low temperatures, severe winds, constant danger of polar bears and open water leads, as they could not see them untill they were in front of them.

For a complete list of 2008 records, please visit 2008 Guinness Records in Russia.

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