Winner: South Georgia Island and the Shackleton Crossing, Polar Explorers
South Georgia is considered a stopover on the way to Antarctica, but it shouldn鈥檛 be. Guides and naturalists are more intrigued by this 1,450-square-mile island and its 1,445 recognized species, including hundreds of thousands of king penguins, than its icy neighbor 800 miles south. Add 颅mountains, glaciers, and the Shack颅le颅ton mystique鈥攖he famous explorer crash-landed his lifeboat at King Haakon Bay in 1916鈥攁nd South Georgia is downright sexy. Polar Explorer鈥檚 surprisingly 颅affordable (for polar trips) 18-day expedition, based out of a comfortable research vessel, is ideal for couples or families with dual agendas. After a four-day crossing of the southern Atlantic from Montevideo, Uruguay, the ship arrives at King Haakon Bay, where the group splits in two: Skiers start a four-day, 25-mile retracing of Shackleton鈥檚 crossing. Those remaining on board explore Prion 颅Island, breeding ground for the wandering albatross, and Salisbury Plain, the island鈥檚 second-largest king penguin breeding ground. From $9,300;
Runner-Up: East Greenland Winter Expedition, Icelandic Mountain Guides
This is a rugged, chilly, crazy ski expedition. But there鈥檚 no better way to experience Arctic life and Inuit culture than on a new 19-day, 170-mile nordic ski journey across the Ammassalik region of eastern Greenland. Most locals here still hunt seals, fish, and use dogsleds as their primary form of transportation. Skiers will pass by 6,000-foot granite peaks, traverse ice fields, cross from island to mainland villages on thick ice, and camp under the Northern Lights between stays in village communal houses. Best of all, the locals supply drippingly fresh halibut. $5,560;