Many of the students believed that the ice at the North Pole would be hard, thick and smooth. But that is far from the truth. There is a movement under the ice that causes the icepack to constantly change. Pressure ridges are small, steep mountains of ice blocked the path to the pole. Parts of the ice pack were always breaking apart and opening up moving water called ‘leads'. It was very dangerous because if someone where to fall into a ‘lead' they would freeze to death or drown in minutes. Temperatures at the pole can get to be as cold as -60°. In some places the sun does not rise above the horizon for the entire winter or set in the summer.