Quark Expeditions, the leader in polar adventures, has just successfully reached the geographic North Pole for the 46th time as part of its first voyage of the 2013 Arctic season. It took only four days from Murmansk, Russia, to the North Pole. The 50 Years of Victory can take up to eight days to travel north, making this Quark’s fastest voyage to date.

Since 1991, Quark has operated voyages to the North Pole via icebreaker in June and/or July each year. Quark operates two departures of its signature North Pole voyage, taking a lucky 250 people in total each season to the top of the world aboard the powerful nuclear icebreaker, 50 Years of Victory.

This fall, in honor of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, the 50 Years of Victory will be participating in the Olympic flame relay, carrying the flame to the North Pole. After the official lighting ceremony in Greece, the flame will travel through all Russia’s nine time zones and even to the International Space Station on board the Soyuz TMA-11M manned spaceship, completing its route in Sochi in early February 2014.

Quark is accepting bookings for the few spaces still remaining for the 2014 North Pole voyages departing on the legendary ship 50 Years of Victory, June 19 and June 30, 2014.