The 1995 International Arctic Project expedition, lead by Steger was the first surface crossing of the Arctic Ocean in a single season. The adventure took them 2,500 miles by dogsled and canoe-sled from Russia to Canada via the North Pole. Steger's vision for the IAP was to inspire and teach children about the environment. He communicated electronially with the school children worldwide through the Internet. The IAP project included three training expeditions. The first, in 1992, was a 600 mile expedition in the Hudson Bay region. The second, in 1993, involved a 1000 mile dogsled and canoe-sled trek across the Canadian Barrens from Yellowknife, NWT to Churchill, Manitoba. The training expeditions coincided with the introdution of a multi-layered, multi-function clohing and sleeping bag system developed by Steger in conjunction with IAP founding sponsors Lands' End and 3M Insulation Products. In addition, a three year dietary study was launched with another founding sponsor, Shaklee U.S. Inc.

The expedition team consisted of six team members, including two women; Julie Hanson, USA and Takako Takono, Japan.