Gaia´s frozen feet: The icy periphery of our planet. Here we present a short overview of the Earth´s glacial and permafrost environments. We introduce the current topics of life-in-the-ice research, including microbial transport on snow and methane production of glacial environments and life in the most extreme environments of the Antarctic Dry Valleys. Due to their relative simplicity, these systems could provide convenient models for studying ecological interactions within the microbial community. We conclude that the study of microbial life in glacial habitats will contribute to the better understanding of microbial biodiversity, ecophysiology and global biogeochemistry and so reach far beyond the borders of polar science.