Map
Expedition blog
Day 33 - Back in Longyearbyen
The group made it back to Longyearbyen this afternoon. The snowmobile transport went smooth and the weather was beautiful. A nice end to a great adventure, all in all 608 kilometers and 7100 meters of elevation!
Day 32 - South to North is complete!
Today the group reached Verlegenhuken and the Northernmost point of Svalbard! Big congratulations!
Today has been a beautiful warm day. The group had a slow morning before they strapped on their skis and continued North for the last time on this journey. They left their camp and pulkas behind for a day-trip to the Northernmost point, and they enjoyed skiing with any extra weight.
Only a short distance away from Verlegenhuken they crossed fresh bear tracks, proving how important the choice of route is to avoid unwanted bear encounters, as they definitely would have met this bear did they follow the coastline and not the foot of the mountains like they did.
They celebrated reaching Verlegenhulen at 11:45, on the tip of the rocks going into the sea. They were surrounded by puffins and other sea birds and enjoyed seeing all the life the cold sea provide for. As a little extra celebration Ingeborg, Arabella and Laetitia took a dip in the sea! Everyone had a great day and are happy to have made it!
Now they are back in camp, and have started to pack and get ready for their snowmobile transport back to Longyearbyen tomorrow.
Day 31 - Plus degrees and sun!
Today the group woke to plus degrees and sun. The skiing conditions have been great and everyone is enjoying their last days this expeditions. The weather is so nice they even fell asleep during lunch! 9 kilometers remain to Verlegenhuken and the Northernmost point!
Day 30 - Back on track!
After two days without skiing the group was happy to get going again today! The storm not only brought heavy wind but also warmer temperatures, as it cooled again over night the skiing conditions were icy and fast all day.
After skiing around 15 kilometers the group skied down Tåbreen, a descent of 650 meters! The icy and fast conditions sure made this descent somewhat memorable, but everyone made it in one piece.
They pitched camp in Mosseldalen, where they were visited by two ptarmigans who curiously inspected their tent.
All in all they did 29,5 kilometers today, a great effort!
Day 29 - Stormy night
After braving the storm through the night and morning, the weather finally calmed down around mid-day. The weather is sunny, calm and warm. They moved camp and put up the trip-wire for the polar bear protection again and went to bed! They were tired after a long night, but very happy!
Day 28 - The storm has arrived
The weather has not been easy to predict the last couple of days, whilst the forecast has said one thing, the reality has been another. That however, ended today. After skiing a few kilometers the wind picked up like the forecast said, and the group pitched camp. Again settling in for a storm. This time it arrived, they have experienced winds of 26 meters per second, with gusts up to 34. That is 50, and 66 knots.
They are however doing well! The placement of the tents, snow walls and double tent poles are working well, and the only complaint so far is that the wind is quite loud.
The storm is likely to continue well into tomorrow, so our group will most likely be stormbound until Tuesday. They are only 50 kilometers away from Polheim, the Northernmost point of Svalbard, thus they have enough time to reach their goal even with this windy layover.
Day 27 - 28,4 kilometers!
That is how far the group skied today. Very impressive! The snow was hard and icy, providing them with great glide on their skis. Along with this, the scenery and views has been magnificent.
In the middle of the glacier plateau they spotted the tracks of a she-bear and a cub, wandering East. Perhaps looking for better hunting grounds? The group wished them well on their journey, as they continued theirs before pitching camp. Everyone report of having a great day!
If you want to learn more about the polar bears of Svalbard I can recommend two interesting articles from the Norwegian Polar Institute. The first one describe the species in general and can be found here. Where as the latter gives an in-depth account of their movements, habitat and denning behavior, this one can be found here.
Day 26 - April Fools weather
The group has taken great care getting camp, they built snow walls, put extra poles in their tents and mentally prepared for little sleep. Yet, the night seemed to bring them less wind than they have had during their whole expedition so far.. When they woke up the weather was quiet and warm.
As multiple services still forecast heavy winds on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Guide Morten decided that they should push on and get in to an area where the forecast is less dramatic. They had the great Trinityhall glacier in front of them today. A climb of 700 meters in ten kilometers, that surely makes ones lactate climb too.
They did 22 kilometers in all, which is a great effort! During the day the wind picked up, but less than forecasted - so we can only wait and see what the weather brings. Everyone is happy and doing great.
Day 25 - Settling in for heavy weather
The day the group has had today, has literally been a single long downhill. Whilst metaphorically they have all been walking on air! Finally the skiing conditions have been undemanding and pleasant, which contributed to them doing 22 kilometers with ease.
Starting tonight the winds will pick up. All through Saturday they can expect to be staying in their tents and awaiting the passing of the storm. So when they pitched camp today, they took great care in ensuring their tents would stand steady in the wind. Luckily the tents and their components are built to handle this type of weather well. Now we can only hope the weather will be better than forecasted and allow for skiing as soon as possible!
The group has now passed 79 degrees North, and are really starting to feel close to the finish line. Only 100 kilometers are remaining!
Day 24 - Lawful skiing
Dazzling sun, cold temperatures, zero wind, and beautiful glacier passes gave the group a lovely day of skiing! They did 24 kilometers today, which is a really good effort.
After lunch the group was visited by two field inspectors from Sysselmesteren. After spending so many days alone in the desolate arctic, you can imagine their surprise when two police-snowmobiles suddenly appeared.
The field inspectors regulate and control activity in the Svalbard nature. For our group that meant checking the relevant paperwork. Expeditions such as this require the operator to hold an approved application as well as insurance. Everything was in order and the group was sent on their merry way!
Now they are in camp on Veteranen (glacier), surronded by beautiful mountain views.
Day 23 - Sunshine and views!
Waking at 07.00 and strapping on the skis at 09.00, has now become a steady routine. During the day the group has climbed around 400 meters and are now in camp on Lomonosovfonna.
The view is spectacular and the sunshine persists! Although the group did 23,8 kilometers today, they still have enough energy to leave their sleeping bags and go out to see the sun go down behind the mountains tonight.
This is the third day of doing 8 laps of skiing per day (they were doing 7), this is to have some "buffer-kilometers" in case of bad weather. The days are long, but everyone is doing great!
Day 22 - Better weather!
Today the group finally woke to beautiful, quiet weather, with minus 20 Celsius! Yesterdays' storm had left rows of sastrugi formations, giving them a bumpy start on this mornings skiing.
Later they enjoyed a sunny lunch, with a magnificent view on top of Finchnerfonna. The snow conditions are still somewhat heavy, and after climbing multiple hills, banking 23 kilometers - everyone was happy to be pitching camp for the night and jumping in their sleeping bags. Great effort today!
Day 21 - Stuck in the storm
Today the group has had such windy weather they have been stuck inside their tents, however, it was a welcome rest day! Arabella writes the rest of todays' update:
"Wind kept us awake during the night and we waited with baited breath for Morten to make the call to ski or not. Whilst we wanted to move, a warm tent and a day of rest was very tempting. A cheer when up through camp when the call was made to spend the day resting. Playing dice and eating chocolate. Looking forward to being on the move tomorrow"
Day 20 - 22 kilometeres today!
Today was quite windy, yet less wind than forecasted and the group decided to keep on skiing!
The first leg of the day went up a hill so steep they had to take off their skis to get up it. Then the journey went onto Rabotbreen. Due to a few days of skiing low distances they decided to keep going through lunch and did 22 kilometers before pitching camp. A good effort from everyone!
Day 19 - Another long day
Today the group tackled an elevation of 300 meters. That, and heavy snow conditions made for another long day.
The sun and wind has taken turns on working today, in one moment they were sweating and in the next they were freezing. In total the group did 16 kilometers (which Morten ironically described as a distance not worth writing home about). They are however doing good and are still hoping for better snow conditions tomorrow!
Day 18 - A long day and a short update
Today the group skied through Eistradalen, and across Isrosa. The skiing conditions were heavy today and everyone were very happy once they made camp on Ulvebreen. Now they are eating and resting.
From the length and content of the update we got today, I think it is safe to say that the group is in for a good nights' sleep! Hopefully the snow will be more densely packed tomorrow, and offer some easier skiing.
Day 17 - A happy birthday in the arctic
Today the group woke to sunny weather! The route of the day led them up Søre Bellsundpasset, and onto Passbreen. Below Passbreen they found a beautiful ice arch formed by the melt water from the glacier.
The skiing conditions today were subpar, there was a lot of loose snow that the group had to plow their way though.Nonetheless they managed to make it a fair bit into Agardhdalen, and were happy with their efforts.
The highlight of the day however, came once they were settled in camp, as it was all set to celebrate Laetita's birthday! For the occasion they all had dinner together in one tent, ate multiple daily rations of snacks, and enjoyed a drink.
Happy Birthday Laetita!
Day 16 - Hello from Ingeborg
Yesterday Bjørn Ove decided, after some contemplation, to leave the group and head home. The nights have been extremely cold, with temperatures as low as minus 34 Celsius. He was happy to have seen South Spitsbergen, and wished to have continued North, but it was time to have warm toes again! The temperatures have been extraordinarily low this season, and having lived with them for two weeks, is on its own a great feat. Everyone wish he was still with the group all the way to the end, but unfortunately the cold got the better of his sleeping bag.
Today Ingeborg has written the blog:
"We are halfway! Hurray! Today we skied 18,7 km, the first part of the day in snowy weather with chilling wind straight in the face. After a while we could take a portponed lunch, did we set the record of the quietest lunches so far? We were very hungry and focusing on our food.
The group is doing great! Everybody has their strenghts and characteristic parts. Ali has the funniest stories and is a winner when it comes to drying his sleepingbag. Jerome is the king of blogging, km per day and taking pictures, he finds a new angle every time. Arabella is so strong that we need to tell her to slow down when she is in front, and she teaches us all those great britisk «uttrykk». Leatitia loves her daily hot chocolate and must be the fastest to learn about and adapt into tentliving in wintertime. Ingeborg does her to-get-warm-before-getting-in-the-sleepingbag-exercieses every evening, but nobody has joined, yet.
We miss Bjørn Ove and he will always be a part of the group!"
Day 15 - Flypaper snow
The day started with cold winds, making the packing down of camp a chilly experience. However, the group got on their way, passing Svea (coal mine) and crossing Braganzavågen.
Leaving the wind out of the equation the weather has been nice, and the views they have had today were beautiful! The snow however, has offered no glide and at point it felt like the pulkas were stuck in glue. These heavy snow conditions meant that the group only did 17,3 kilometers today, but they are happy and hope for easier snow tomorrow.
If you want to read more about Svea and other coal mines and their history, have a look at this article from Svalbard Museum. Read it here.
For cultural or natural history enthusiasts that wants more, I can recommend checking out the other articles published on the Svalbard Museum website. They can be found here.
These articles are available in English and Norwegian.
Day 14 - Mother and cubs
Today the group woke to the sun shining on their tents making the morning a little warmer.
Everyone has properly gotten into the routines the last days, so at 09.00 everyone was strapped into their skiis and ready to go.
The day consisted of crossing the frozen Van Mijenfjorden. On they ice they came across fresh polar bear tracks from a she-bear with two cubs. The two smaller tracks playfully followed the bigger.Through the binoculars yellow dots were seen in the distance.
Nonetheless the group continued in their direction, crossing the fjord and setting up camp a while away from the sea ice. They did 24 kilometers today.
Day 13 - A steep climb
After a cold night our superior seven started their day with a specific goal in mind; climbing the 580 meters from their camp at the bottom of Sysselmesterbreen to top of the glacier pass.
With the cold wind biting their faces, they got to it. The ascend took them a little over four hours and as they reached the top the clouds cleared and so did the wind. They enjoyed a long lunch break here, and dug up their depot with resupplies of food and fuel.
What goes up must come down, and a Kvistkvarvbreen provided the descent. This glacier is steep, whilst some were excited about the possiblity of speeding down the hills, others were getting nervous. However, the descent went well and the group is now in camp in Brommeldalen. Here they find themselves surrounded by mountains and reindeer as they settle in and enjoy their dinners.
Day 12 - Skiing through the moraine
Today the group has put an impressive 24 kilometers behind them, in the kind temperature of minus 10 Celsius!
They skied through a beautiful moraine landscape, leaving Nathorsbreen and the impressive glacier scenery behind them. They followed a river bed onwards in the moraine towards Nordre Nathorstmorena. It felt nice to descend from the ice and see signs of life in the landscape again- the glacier leaves traces of its movements in the moraine, and the animals leave theirs.
Now, they have made their camp for the night below the Sysselmannen glacier, and the temperature has crept down to minus 20 Celsius again. The morning holds a great strength test for our group as they will climb 400 meters onto the glacier, and all of that before lunch.
Day 11 - Almost tropical -10 °C
Today the group did 24 kilometers, and are almost back where they began - tomorrow new landscapes lies ahead. The rest of today's update comes from Bjørn-Ove:
"We started with mild weather of about -10 at the edge of Novbreen, and got quickly warmed up crossing the mountain pass to Besshøbreeen. Skiing conditions were quite good, with gentle downhills on Nathorstbreen.
We took a nice detour to an old water basin between Nathorstbreen and Dobrowolskibreen. The water has long since flowed out, leaving enormous ice blocks and a maze-like landscape. Hard skiing, but rewarding to see up close.
During the day, the temperature kept rising, and we all put our sleeping bags on our pulkas to dry. It’s been a constant challenge here to keep our sleeping systems dry, not to mention not sweating too much ourselves.
We’re now nearly back to where we started, with Sør-Spitsbergen national park behind us. Onwards to the north and our first resupply depot."
Day 10 - Glaciers and animal tracks
Today the group did an impressive 24,6 kilometers!
The rest of their update is coming from Ali today, he writes:
"The day was filled with interest, not least because we are retracing our steps back North towards our food depot. Uphills have inverted into downhills and vice versa.
We stopped by a subterranean melt water channel - currently frozen, of course - running along the flank of the “belly” of a glacier. The compressed ice was stunning.
We came across polar bear tracks (not fresh) and fox tracks (fresh). The latter are evidence that we’re the subject of investigations - and likely scavenging too - from a local.
The weather was a mixed bag: at points the sun hid, flattening the contrast and draining color from the landscape until we were traversing a slate grey snow-sky-scape. With good conditions underfoot we glided along as if on magic carpets. The sun did reappear for the final leg: thanks to Ingeborg’s because she brightens everyone’s day.
We’ve been very lucky on this trip to encounter this enchanted landscape, to be in a positive team, and to benefit from Morten’s guiding. I learnt a new phrase yesterday: ‘Det er ikke bare bare’ but with Morten’s ‘gjennomtenkt’ (thought-through) approach we can enjoy the nature of Svalbard in a way that feels ‘bare bare’ (approx: not difficult)."
Day 9 - Breakfast, ski, camp, repeat
Again today, the group woke up to minus 20 Celsius and had a cold few first session of sking. During lunch time, as they approached the pass of Hedgehofonna and Sykorabreen, the sun came out and they could enjoy lunch and dry their sleeping bags. Today it was Morten who brought out the surprise treat; pistachio marzipan.
They did another two sessions of skiing after lunch, as to not set up camp too close to the sea ice. This, to reduce the risk of having any fluffy white visitors during the night.
The group have spent a nice evening in their tents, snacking, relaxing and enjoying each others company. Everyone is happy and enjoying their time on Svalbard.
Day 8 - All in all a lovely day!
After a windy night, a similar morning followed. The first ski session of the day was very cold, and everyone felt quite frozen.
Luckily the wind died down as the sun came out, and the group had a long break where they could warm up in the sun and dry their sleeping bags. Ali surprised everyone with york fruit jellies, which were enjoyed! The afternoon turned in to a beautiful day in Southern Spitsbergen.
The group also met three skiers today as they crossed Isbukta. These are the first people they see on this expedition, apart from each other - and everyone enjoyed seeing some new faces.
Now they are filling their hot water bottles and settling in for another night in the arctic.
day 7 - The Southern coast of Spitsbergen
The group reached the Southern coast of Spitsbergen today, with sea ice streatching as far as the eye could see it was definitely a majestic sight. After a week skiing south it's now time to turn North and head for Verlegenhuken, the Northernmost point of Spitsbergen.
Day 6 - A clear day in beautiful scenery
Today was a nice, yet cold day, with sun and minus 20 Celsius. The group reached their goal for the day and will reach Sørneset tomorrow. The snow conditions are still heavy, but they have reported about particularly beautiful scenery today that made them forget about the heavy pulkas for a little while.
Arabella acted as an arctic easter bunny, and suprised everyone with an easter egg as they made camp for the night.
Day 5 - A day of tricky snow conditions and heavy pulkas
Today the group made an early camp after a day of hard work and little progress! About 20 cm of powdered snow was covered in a thin ice sheet making pulkas and skiis constantly fall through. Even in the steepest down hills they had to pull hard to get their pulkas moving.
Now they are in camp, settling into their sleeping bags as the temperature keeps falling. Let's hope tomorrows conditions will be better - if they manage 20 kilometers, they will reach Sørneset on Sunday.
Day 4 - Good conditions and polar bear tracks!
The day started with minus 8 Celsius and good clear weather, which was favorable for their plan of traversing Hornbreen. This glacier passage gets narrower each year to due melting, and now it is only 4 kilometers at its most narrow! This means crevasses - however the weather and snow conditions made for an easy traverse. As they descended the glacier they saw their first polar bear tracks, a few days old but still clearly visible.
After they had lunch the weather went cloudy and they spent the rest of the day navigating by compass. They did 19,5 km in total today and are very happy with that.
Day 3 - A sunny afternoon
Today the group woke up at 07.00. The night had been warmer and the temperature did not drop below minus 15 celsius (which may seem cold enough for those at home..), most had a good sleep and felt well rested as they started the day.
The group made their way up Nathorstbreen. The snow was packed hard as cement and their pulkas felt light and easy. As they reached the glaciers highest point, the clouds cleared and the wind went quiet. They had a long lunch break and enjoyed themselves in the sunshine.
They did 20,6 kilometers before settling in for the night. Now its time for dinner and a well earned rest.
Day 2 - A cold day!
The group is reporting of a cold night and a cold morning. However, the sun did eventually come out and they managed nearly 17 kilometers before pitching todays camp.
All is well as they continue south, and they are happy to be settling into their new routines and the expedition-life. Tomorrow they will travel down Flatbreen towards Hambergbukta. Luckily, the weather is predicted to be a little warmer.
Day 1 - The expedition is finally underway!
After a few days of hectic final preparations, and months of training; Bjørn-Ove, guide Morten, Arabella, Jérôme, Ali, Ingeborg and Laetitia have pitched their first camp!
The group left Longyearbyen by snowmobile this morning and were dropped off at Doktorbreen this afternoon. This is where we find the National Park border, and from thereon snowmobiles are not permitted. Thus, the group strapped on their skis and continued into South Spitsbergen National Park before pitching camp after about 4 kilometers. Onwards the group will have to reach Sørneset - the Southernmost point of Svalbard, by their own machine, before they can turn their gaze North.
Their afternoon and early evening have been spent sorting out their pulkas in the sun. Now the first of 30 nights in their tents await, tonight is chilly - with temperatures reaching minus 26 celsius!
If you want to follow their progress by map, check out: