Day 13
The group woke up to the sun peeking out from behind the clouds – finally revealing the mountains around them. After yesterday’s low visibility, it was nice to finally see the surroundings of where they had put up camp. The camp was only 400 meters from Mietebreen, and the downhill started right away.
They descended 550 meters over just 3.5 kilometers – a fast and fun drop. Everyone strapped their skis to their pulkas, sat on them like sleds, and sailed down the hillside. At the bottom, they found a beautiful campsite near the fjord.
Trine Lise, Ellen, Christine, Mathilde, Anders, and Gaute set off on a day trip to Bjørnefjorden, while Kjell and Morten stayed behind, pitched the tent, and enjoyed the view.
In the afternoon, Christine and Trine Lise even took a dip in the fjord. Afterwards, the group checked the sea ice and got ready for tomorrow’s pickup.
Now, only a quiet evening in camp remains – though the weather has taken a turn for the worse.
Day 12
Today marked the group’s final day with skis and pulkas. They set off from just below Staxrudfonna, wrapped in fog and temperatures around zero. Snow clung stubbornly to their skis, but the descent down Lillehökbreen moved along at a good pace.
As they made their way forward, the mountains began to break through the mist, casting an otherworldly atmosphere over the landscape.
They continued up Satellitpasset and stopped for a long lunch. It was snowing and still zero degrees – everything quickly turned wet, so they decided to pitch a tent and sit inside. The final legs were done in more rain – even some frozen rain – until the group gave in at the top of the pass leading down to Mietebreen.
A wet, yet nice day!
Day 11
The day started with an exploration of the glacier beside the camp. After a night of rain and warmer weather, it was exciting to see how the snow had begun to change. The snow bridges over the glacier’s crevasses were much more visible, and avalanches were rumbling frequently down the hillsides.
By roping in and leaving the pulkas behind, the group managed to get deep among the ice formations and crevasses - a very cool experience for everyone. They all gathered in a tent and had lunch together before packing up camp and setting off south.
The wind came and went, but it remained fairly warm, so the skiing went quickly. It was a short day in terms of distance, but a big one in terms of experience.
Day 10
Today, the group woke to no wind, but instead the sound of a thousand little auks. They had come to nest and lay their eggs on Fyrst Albert Toppen and Larsentoppen. It was a joy to hear the birds again – bringing life to the mountains after a long winter. For the group, it felt especially meaningful: at the start of the trip, they were still in the last grasp of winter, and now it seems to be full spring.
They spent the day on a day trip down to Raudfjorden. Sadly – and with heavy hearts – they had to abandon the plan to climb Ben Nevis. The mountain is still buried in far too much snow, and it would not be a safe ascent. Instead, they summited Buchanantoppen, a smaller mountain yet with sweeping views over the entire fjord. Later, they ventured out onto the sea ice to visit the glacier front of Raudfjordbreen.
The weather has been beautiful – bright, clear, and surprisingly warm.
Day 9
The day began with a strong wind and an uphill climb towards Teltpasset. Once at the top, the group paused to enjoy the view before setting off down towards Lillehookbreen.
The mountains and landscapes here are harsh and unforgiving, yet there’s a striking beauty in moving through them. The journey then continued towards Raudfjorden. This area is riddled with glacier crevasses, and the group even discovered new crevasse fields that hadn’t been there before. Navigating safely across the terrain took a bit more time, but it was a beautiful day nonetheless. Now the group is camped with a view stretching down to the fjord ahead, and tomorrow’s plan is a day trip down to the sea.
Day 8
Today, the forecast had warned of very strong winds, and so the group expected to wake up to shaking tents and poor visibility. But instead, the morning was calm. There was a bit of wind, but no more than a strong breeze.
They packed up their tents and began their ascent up Louette Glacier.
Even though the forecasted winds didn’t materialize, the weather had still shifted. With the temperature at zero degrees, snow clung stubbornly to their skis, slowing their progress - so the pace wasn’t exactly anything to write home about.
Since a storm was still in the forecast, the group decided to pitch camp a little earlier than usual; the next suitable campsite lay seven to eight kilometers farther north. Now they are camped right below the mountains Muren, Trekanten, and Teltet - perhaps the most beautiful campsite so far on this journey.
Day 7
The day began under a cloudy sky as the group strapped into their skis. The first leg of the journey took them down the crest of the Monaco Glacier. Everything went smoothly, and they maintained a good pace, even though they were all roped together.
Once the glacier flattened out, the sun broke through the clouds. Almost immediately, clumps of snow started sticking to their skis and skins. However, the group had prepared for this, and the skin wax was ready. It wasn’t long before they were gliding smoothly again.
All around them, sharp alpine peaks loomed overhead. They passed several crevasses along the great glacier - it has been an exciting and beautiful day.
Today, the group skied a bit farther than usual. It seems they will be caught in a storm tomorrow, so they pushed ahead, covering 27 kilometers across eight legs.
Now they are resting right beside the Louette glacier, ready for whatever weather lies ahead.
Day 6
After the coldest night of the trip so far, with temperatures dropping to minus 18°C, the team was eager to get warm again in the early hours. By 8 a.m., they set off into crisp, clear weather.
It was a truly beautiful day today - the group enjoyed the stunning views and made the most of their breaks. After lunch, they dug out their glacier harnesses and ropes from their pulkas and got everything rigged and ready so they would be set to rope in. They weren’t roping in today, but they wanted to prepare everything ahead of time so they wouldn’t have to deal with it the next morning when they tackled the Monaco Glacier.
The last few stretches of skiing were surprisingly warm. When they arrived at camp, they were able to dry out their sleeping bags and socks, which felt like a real luxury. The evening was comfortable and restful, and everyone felt ready for another beautiful day ahead.
Day 5
An amazing day!
The group awoke to sunshine, though a band of fog stretched across the glacier. As they set off on their first leg of skiing, they moved into the fog—but soon, the sun began to burn it away. Slowly, the mist lifted, revealing the mountains around them, and the day unfolded into something truly spectacular. The air felt warm, the views were breathtaking, and both lunch and dinner were enjoyed outside in the sun. It was a wonderful day from start to finish.
Day 4
Today has truly been a day of uphills! After packing up camp, the group set out, tackling the climbs right from the start. After a few legs of skiing, they stumbled upon a large, beautiful meltwater channel. They took some time to explore it, discovering stunning ice formations along the way.
The journey continued with views of Torafjellet and Idrefjellet—two striking mountains that really stand out in the landscape. Along the way, they also noticed some unusual cloud formations. One of the three guides on this trip, Anders, explained that they were altocumulus lenticularis, describing how they form and how they got their name.
At around 500 meters elevation, the snow conditions improved even more. There was a bit of wind, but overall, the weather and conditions were favorable.
Now, the group is settled in camp at 650 meters above sea level, winding down and getting ready for the night.
Day 3
The group set off alongside the sun, with the wind blowing. They pulled their hoods tight as they skied, but still caught some great views of the beautiful Tre Kroner mountains. As they crossed the Holmstrømbreen moraine, they spotted grass — an unusual sight. Naturally, the reindeer had found it too, and for a while, the animals became quiet companions on the group’s journey through the moraine. The group continued up onto Morabreen to pitch camp, and now, at 150 meters of elevation, they’re all happy after a good day.
Day 2
Today has been an incredible day! The weather was beautiful, the skiing conditions were great, and the views were outstanding. The group skied into Ekmanfjorden, with the mountains Kapitol and Kollusum in sight - such stunning peaks to behold. They also spotted countless old polar bear tracks, and even saw one in the flesh! Thankfully, it was about six kilometers away, but everyone managed to catch a glimpse through the binoculars. Seals were lounging on the ice, completely unbothered by the group’s presence.
Lunch was a pleasant affair in the sunshine.
Now in camp, everyone is happy with their first day.
Day 1
The group were eagerly ready at the docks by 08:00. The boat was packed, and all in order as they were just pulling away, when the boat guide on board lost her footing and slipped into the icy water. For a few tense seconds, everything hung in the balance, but the skipper reacted quickly, maneuvering the boat while Anders, Gaute, and Morten hauled her back on board.
The incident caused a slight delay, but by 09:10 they left Longyearbyen in good spirits.
When reaching Ekmanfjorden, they discovered there was nowhere safe to go ashore - the ice was too thin, yet too thick to gothrough. The boat continued on to Dicksonfjorden instead, where they finally managed to land.
The route had ended up 20 kilometers longer than planned, but as a silver lining, they passed by Harald Solheim’s cabin - a name well known to anyone familiar with Svalbard.
Later, they crossed Dicksonfjorden and settled beneath towering, beautiful mountains. The weather was warm, the wind calm, and everyone felt happy, ready for polar bear watch and whatever the next day might bring