Spitsbergen Spring Skiing Expedition at 78° North

This expedition programme will give you some of the biggest highlights of Spitsbergen: untouched and unspoiled High Arctic wilderness, camping in polar bear territory with a mandatory polar bear watch at night, ski trekking on sea ice and glaciers, powerboat transport across the fjord, mountains and mountain passes — and the remote mining town of Longyearbyen.

There is no other way of putting it: this is a full-on skiing expedition! In terms of nature and wilderness it is almost an all-inclusive tour. Our daily skiing distance is between 10 and 20 kilometres. The total distance is approx. 100 km.

Svalbard and Spitsbergen — names that smell of adventure! This is the wilderness where great men like Nansen, Amundsen, Nobile and Andrée spent time and effort in their quest to be the first to reach the North Pole. The archipelago was discovered at the end of the 16th century by the Dutch navigator and explorer Willem Barentsz. He named it Spitzbergen on account of the pointy peaks on the west coast of the island. The name Svalbard comes from the Icelandic sagas and means "cold coasts". Today Svalbard is the name used for the entire High Arctic archipelago, whereas Spitsbergen refers to the main island.

Season, terrain and weather

The terrain is wide, flat and easy to ski across. The weather is normally good, with cold nights and "mild" sunny days. The Arctic environment, however, can sometimes present some challenges. But do not worry: your guides are highly professional and have years of experience in this environment. He or she will make sure you are well taken care of in any situation.

The departure date is set late in spring, which means that we will have full midnight sun on the entire trip. This means that we can leave our timepieces at home, and hike, eat and sleep when we feel like it. This is real freedom. The late spring departure also ensures we will have fairly mild temperatures and more stable weather conditions compared to an earlier spring departure. Temperatures are often around −5 °C in the daytime and a bit lower at night, but high on the plateau we can also experience −20 °C. We are always careful about putting up camp because even at this time of the year, Svalbard weather can change very fast. One day can be windy and overcast and the next can be calm with a full sun beating down on us. As a guest on this trip (as with all Turgleder trips) you are considered a member of an expedition, and you will be asked to help out when it comes to putting up a good and comfortable winter campsite. Your guides will, of course, teach you everything you need to know, from the basics to their very own "secret" tricks of the trade.

How we travel

The programme starts in Longyearbyen, where final preparations are made before we leave. Our first stage of the expedition is to get from Longyearbyen across Isfjorden by boat. They will take us as far as they can, at which point they will leave us on the sea ice — and our expedition really begins. From there on we are alone. We ski across the rest of the fjord on the sea ice, or start on shore. After we reach land we start skiing up one of the many glaciers in the area. During the following days we will be skiing among glaciers and mountain tops that can be seen protruding out of the glaciers. Maybe we will even summit one of the mountain tops. Camps will be chosen based on weather, progress or certain wishes from the expedition members. Our focus will be on making this a stress-free adventure with comfortable camps and good "expedition food". Your highly experienced guide will make sure safety is a priority at all times.

We will be cross-country skiing the whole way, and we will transport everything we need in pulks (sleds) and backpacks. If possible we will bring a dog on the trip. The dog will help us pull some of the equipment — these happy, social and hardworking Alaska Huskies give the trip an added social dimension, and your guide will show you how to handle the dog in the best way possible.

Who can join

You do not need to be an experienced cross-country skier to be a part of this adventure. First-time skiers with the right mindset will have no problem completing the tour. However, a reasonable level of fitness is required, and some outdoor and camping experience is helpful.

Good to know

In Longyearbyen you are lodged at a guesthouse; single rooms are available for an additional NOK 900 per night. On the nights in tents, teams of 2 to 3 persons share one tent. Private trips are available on request from 1 May to mid-June. We would like to encourage you to stay a few extra days in Longyearbyen to explore the town and the surroundings — and we recommend that you stay one or more days after the trip as a security against weather-related delays coming back from the skiing trip.

Day by day plan

Day 1

Arrival in Longyearbyen. Your guide will meet you at a local guesthouse, where you will stay the first two nights. You will meet the rest of the group and be served dinner. Your guide will go through the programme for the trip and the skiing route.

Your guide will also go through your personal outdoor equipment with you, to make sure you have everything you need for the trip and that the equipment meets the standards the Arctic environment requires.

Day 2

After breakfast we will do the last preparations and pack all our equipment for the trip. You will be teamed up with 1 or 2 other expedition members, with whom you will work together and share a tent on the trip. You will also be shown how to put up your tent and how to use some of the equipment you will be using on the trip. There will also be time to make your final personal preparations and adjustments before the journey starts. Your guide will also go through safety routines, skiing routines and how to handle the dog in the best way possible (if we can bring one!).

There will be time for some last-minute shopping and some time to look around in Longyearbyen.

Day 3

After breakfast the trip starts. We will be transported by boat across Isfjorden. This scenic fjord on the northern side of the great Isfjorden is our gateway into the real Arctic wilderness. When we arrive on the other side, the boatman will put us safely onto the fast ice in front of the glacier. From here we will work our way towards land and up onto the glacier. This evening will be the first night in tents.

Day 4

When we wake up, it will be to the stunning view from the glacier and the surrounding mountains. Most of this day will be an easy uphill, until we reach the plateau at about 500 metres above sea level.

Days 5–8

Full days on the glacier plateau. We will make our way across this vast and flat glacier landscape. Up here the winter is still going strong: we can get hard winds and low temperatures, or we can get fabulous mild and sunny days. No matter what kind of weather, this great landscape will give us a real taste of how big and impressive Arctic nature can be.

We are planning to stay at one or maybe two of our campsites for two nights, which makes for fantastic day-trip possibilities. Without the pulks we can travel further and easier, and we can reach places that are not reachable with the pulks. We might be getting high onto a mountain top or swooping down into a fjord to explore the sea ice and the wildlife associated with it. On day 8 we start on the way down from the glacier. We will once again get the spectacular view over Isfjorden, and we can even spot the mountains around Longyearbyen 50 km away. We make our last camp above the glacier front.

Day 9

Last day on the ice. We pack up our camp as usual and start our way down the glacier front, through the moraine landscapes and onto the sea ice. Around lunchtime the boat will be back to pick us up, and we travel back to Longyearbyen. After arriving at the port we will all be transported back to the guesthouse for a hot shower and a good dinner.

Day 10

Breakfast and journey home. The weather can vary during the day, and with respect to the safety of our guests we reserve the right to make any necessary changes to our trip. We always recommend allowing for weather delays when booking flights.

The price includes

• Guide
• All meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 10 — except lunch and dinner on day 2
• Some equipment — specified in the equipment list
• 3 nights' lodging in Longyearbyen
• 6 nights in tents
• Search and rescue insurance

Not included

• Travel to and from Longyearbyen
• Extra activities in Longyearbyen
• Lunch and dinner on day 2
• Personal equipment — please check the equipment list
• Snacks between the meals — we recommend sweets, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, cheese, dried meat and the like
• Travel insurance
• Any unforeseen expenses due to delays caused by weather or safety considerations