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Clare Murray

When it comes to chilly pursuits, ice hotels are just the tip of the iceberg...

Cities

Some of the most beautiful and interesting cities happen to be in the northern climes.

Helsinki

Browse the bookshops, wonder at the 19th-century architecture and, of course, take a sauna (Kotiharju sauna is the last wood-burning one in Helsinki).

Montreal

When the mercury gets down to minus 20 degrees Celsius, head for the underground city (la ville souterraine or Reso). Thirty-two kilometres of tunnels spread over an area of 12 sq km, including shopping malls, hotels and a hockey arena.

Reykjavik

The world's most northerly capital city. Take a soak in the mineral-rich geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon, conveniently situated near the airport.

St Petersburg

Built on a swamp only 300 years ago, its palace-lined waterways have earned it the moniker 'Venice of the North'. Don't attempt to do the Hermitage in one go - it covers a distance of 40km, contains more than 3 million pieces and is one of the largest museums in the world.

Stockholm

Built on a series of islands, the city also claims to be the 'Venice of the North'. The Vasa Museum, containing the world's only surviving - and intact - 17th-century ship, is a must.

Ulan Bator

Mongolia might be known as the Land of the Blue Sky, but don't let that fool you - its capital city is the world's coldest.

Sports

Cold destinations offer so much more than skiing and snowboarding...

Dog sledging in Greenland

While snowmobiles pack up or run out of fuel, dogs will never let you down.  For more information visit www.greenland-guide.gl/dogsledge.

Frozen waterfall climbing in Ontario

The waterfalls here freeze so thick, they can stay solid until June. Beginners and more advanced climbers are all catered for, and you can even make a first ascent of a waterfall and have it named after you. For more information visit www.ontariooutdoor.com.

Reindeer safaris in Lapland

Visit a reindeer farm, learn how to harness the beast to a sleigh, and away you go. For more information see www.visitfinland.com.

The call of the wild

From the extremes of the Arctic and Antarctic to the expanses of Alaska, if it's wide open spaces and natural wonders you hanker after, cold places come into their own.

Northern Lights also known as aurora borealis (red dawn of the north), this atmospheric phenomenon of bands, curtains and streamers of light that move across the night sky can be seen from parts of Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Iceland, Russia, Canada and Alaska. For more information visit www.norther-lights.no.

Arctic

A four-day expedition by snowmobile across glaciers and frozen fjiords in Svalbard, an archipelago of islands located about 1,000km south of the North Pole. 'An adventurous mind and a good physique are required' say the organisers. For more information visit www.spitsbergentravel.no/eng.

Antarctica

Follow in the wake of British explorer Ernest Shackleton's Endurance from the luxurious comfort of Explorer II (many of the cabins have balconies) around the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic peninsula. Departs November, December, January and February. For more information visit www.abercrombiekent.com.

Alaska

Three million lakes, 3,000 rivers, 100,000 glaciers and 15 national parks teeming with polar, black and brown bears, wolves and caribou. For more information visit www.alaska.com.

Churchill, Manitoba

'Polar bear capital of the world'. Watch the bears congregate here in the autumn while they wait for the ice across Hudson Bay to freeze.

Or do as the Inuit do and build your own igloo - spending the night in it is optional. For more information visit www.churchillwild.com.



THE COLD FRONT