The objective of the Ice Challenger expedition is to be the first to drive across the ice from the USA (Alaska) to Russia (Siberia).

To do this, the challengers have to create the ultimate all terrain vehicle - one that can float on water, motor through crushed ice, motor on ice floes, and climb out of water onto an ice floe. Not only that, but it has to be fast. As the ice on the Bering Sea is always moving, any delays will drift the team in the wrong direction.

A strange looking vehicle called Snowbird 6 has been developed to do this. It started with a vehicle designed for ski resorts and also uses two screws which counter-rotate against each other so that the vehicle can be "screwed" across the ground or ice. (It looks like something Ludi would have invented in his ice laboratory.)

Not all has gone smoothly. On January 15, 2002, trials were held on the Thames River in London. The Snowbird 6 sprang a leak and almost sunk.

Well, if something like this was easy, it wouldn't be called a "challenge", would it?