Overview
With ice-covered fjords, snow-covered mountains and exciting wildlife, Svalbard is for many something that just has to be experienced. We test the expedition life in the Arctic and explore Nordenskioldland with mountain skis. An experience of a lifetime!
Note: This is a trip popular with Norwegians, so the main language on the trip is Norwegian, but the guide will speak English, so you are welcome to join as an English speaker.
We will meet in Longyearbyen in the afternoon for an information meeting and planning of the last details. We pack our own pulks together and thus get a nice introduction to how such expeditions are planned and implemented. Have we remembered enough dry-tech food? Chocolate? We eat dinner together and go to bed excited - ready for the next day's challenges and experiences.
Early the next day, we head for the scooter-free glacier massif between Adventdalen and Reindalen, two of the largest valleys on Svalbard. Here we find the highest peaks in Nordenskioldland with nunataks and peaks that surround the glacier. We ski daily stages of between 8 and 21 kilometers and set up camps every night. We spend the days skiing, but we have a leisurely pace and take good breaks along the way. We choose a campsite so we can take afternoon trips to the nearby mountain peaks, and the route is set up in relation to the weather, and the road of least resistance is no bad way to go - we want to make the most of the trip, the route can be adjusted several times along the way. Upon arrival at the campsite, everyone helps to set up camp, dig wind walls and cold pits. Being together, reflecting and exchanging experiences will be at the center before the night takes us.
If there is a need, we sit polar bear guard at night. This is typically one or two hours every other night and does not significantly affect the night's sleep of the individual. After a week on the tour, we end up in Adventdalen where we are transported back to Longyearbyen for a shower and enjoy dinner together.
What's included
- Stay in tent
- All meals as described in the program
- Guide
- All transport within itinerary
See more of what's included under the "details" tab
Contact
Questions about the trip? Don't hesitate to contact our project leader below, or contact our office here.
Marit Vidnes
marit@hvitserk.com +47 23213080
Details
Difficulty
Level 3 out of 6. Please read more about our difficulty levels here. You need to have experience skiing off of groomed trails on mountain skis. You don't need expedition experience but you need to have experience with sleeping outside in the winter and be prepared to camp. On this trip, you will use a pulk (sled) and we recommend specific training for this skill set. The pulk will weigh about 25-35 kilos.
If you are uncertain you have the proper experience for this trip, please contact us. We also have a Winter Course that you can join to get the necessary experience.
Accommodation
We stay in tents during the trip. The first and last night in Longyearbyen is not included.
What to bring?
Have a look at the full equipment list by clicking "Equipment list" in the menu above.
We require that you pack all your gear and clothing in waterproof bags.
Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance for your trip. Norrøna Hvitserk Adventure is not responsible for any trip delays, injury, illness, loss of belongings, family emergencies, natural events or other unforeseen issues that may hinder your ability to complete a trip with us. Norrøna Hvitserk Adventure is an adventure holiday company, and with an active holiday there is always a risk of something as simple as a twisted ankle to keep you from your vacation. With trip insurance, your flights, hotels and travel costs can be covered if an unforeseen emergency hinders you from joining our tour, as well as coverage to fly home if necessary. By purchasing travel insurance ahead of time, you can protect your trip and yourself from issues that prevent you from traveling, and rest easy to enjoy your vacation.
Safety
Safety is always the number one consideration on a trip with Norrøna Hvitserk Adventure. If there is an emergency on tour with us, help will be able to reach you relatively quickly. We have 24-hour emergency hotline within our office and the guide will always have the ability to contact help. Norway has excellent search and rescue operations throughout the country with evacuations available via helicopter or red cross emergency teams.
Our guides have first aid training and have a selection of medicines and first aid equipment for the necessary treatment in the mountains. Hvitserk also has a partnership with Turlegen.no (Trip Doctor) who can be contacted if needed for medical advice.
If you are on prescribed medication, have known allergies or similar, you must always bring your personal medication.
Hvitserk plans the trip days based on the weather, conditions and the group. Our focus is to take care of each other and work together in one team. The guide will have the ability to make safety decisions for the group, although the decision-making process will be transparent and involve guests in the process.
We plan our trips so that we do not expose ourselves to unwanted risk. On this tour we will always be close to each other, and if an unforeseen situation occurs - the guide will be present quickly to handle it.
Languages
This is a trip popular with Norwegians, so the main language on the trip is Norwegian, but the guide will speak English, so you are welcome to join as an English speaker.
Changes may occur
We reserve the right to make changes to the program, and the price. The day to day program is indicative, and changes may occur. Please have a look at our terms and conditions.
Number of participants
Minimum: 6 people; Maximum: 12 people.
Price includes
- Experienced guides
- Transport from day 2 to day 6
- Communal equipment
- Pulk and pulk bag
- Meals as described in the itinerary
- Search and rescue insurance
Not included in the price
- Transport to/from Longyearbyen
- Drinks (except cofee/tea/juice), meals beyond what is described in the itinerary
- Accommodation in Longyearbyen, first and last night
Other information
If it is close to departure, please contact us. Maybe you will be able to join anyway.
day
1
Arrival Longyearbyen
At 3 pm you will meet your guide at our warehouse in Longyearbyen center for packing equipment and reviewing the last details before our trip starts the next day. Bring all the equipment to the venue. You can leave personal belongings, but limit how much you bring. There will be opportunities to take a tour of the city's sports shops to get the necessary tour equipment. If you want to bring a map with you on the trip, we recommend buying this at the museum at university, or in the city's grocery store. The packing may take a few hours, so bring some food and drink for this session.
Dinner and accommodation are arranged on an individual basis, but we recommended Stationen as an informal place with good food. Accommodation is not included this night.
day
2
To Adventdalen
We meet again after breakfast and are transported to the start of the adventure into the Advent Valley. We put our skis on and go into the scooter-free area, today it will be a quiet start with approx. 10km on flat terrain. We go to Jansondalen where we set up camp. We spend the evening establishing good routines for maximum comfort in the tent.
day
3
Introduction to glacier safety
We start the day with coffee after an exciting night, where you may have been on polar bear watch for the first time? Today we will ski on the first glacier of the trip, Drønbreen, and this night we sleep on the glacier and therefore spend a good deal of time training and an introduction to safety routines. Today's terrain is a bit hilly and we follow along the foot of Skolten mountain towards Drønbreen.
day
4
Heart of Nordenskiold Land
Today we have a gentle climb up the Drønbreen, and we are well onto the glacier. We are now approaching the heart of Nordenskioldland, and from the Drønpasset we can, on clear days, look all the way down to Van Mijenfjorden and to the coast to the west.
day
5
The last night in the Arctic nature
Now we have become masters of tent routines so we pack down our camp quickly before today's stage. Today we are going up to Rugåsfonna and spend the day exploring the area with opportunities to get up on some of the surrounding mountain peaks. This will be the last night in a tent, so enjoy it while you can!
day
6
Back to civilization
We enjoy the last morning with breakfast in the tent camp before the today's leg takes us back to Longyearbyen. We go down the glacier, out of the Adventsdalen, and towards civilization. We take the time to enjoy the last hours of Arctic wilderness.
Accommodation and dinner in Longyearbyen are not included, but we are preparing for joint dinner after a delicious and long-awaited shower.
day
7
Travel home or stay a few days longer?
Today it is time to go home unless you want to stay longer at Svalbard. It is very exciting to be in Longyearbyen and we are happy to help you find activities to do if you wish.
Equipment List
Take a good look at this list, and make sure you bring everything you need. We encourage you to use what you have for this trip and purchase items if you're missing something important on the list below.
Go through the equipment list carefully. It is intended as a guideline so that we have what we need for the trip, and at the same time, we must think about the weight. It is also not intended that you should buy a lot of new equipment, you can probably use a lot of what you have before. Despite Svalbard's northern location, the archipelago has a relatively mild climate compared to areas of the same latitude. In winter, the average temperature in Longyearbyen is -14 ° C. However, it is not uncommon for winter periods to have longer periods of temperatures between -20 and -35 degrees. If the wind is, in addition, the effective temperature is very low. But we also experience every winter that we get low pressure from the southwest that can give days of heat degrees and rain. The weather in Svalbard can change very quickly and the local variations can be great.
The periods of polar night and midnight sun vary depending on the latitude one is on. Longyearbyen has the midnight sun from April 19 to August 23, while in the period from late October to mid-February the sun is never over the horizon. The darkness lasts from mid-November to the end of January.
Layering is extremely important in a variable climate like Norway. This list will guide you through the essentials. Remember the Norwegian saying "There is no bad weather, only bad gear", and prepare appropriately for any weather. You can read about the weather where you're traveling here.
Please contact us at hvitserk@norrona.com if you have any questions and check out our gear page to learn more.
Special notes on equipment and clothing on the trip
- It is important that clothes and sleeping bags be packed in waterproof pack sacks.
- The pulks will weigh 25 - 35 kg.
- Joint equipment will be distributed among the participants.
- Participants are divided into tent layers of two and two or three and three.
- Cooking and snow melting is done by the individual tent team.
We provide equipment:
- Tents
- Pulk (Paris Expedition), thow rope and harness for each participant
- Pulk bag for use in the pulk
- Signal gun
- Rifle
- Stumble flares
- Satellite phone
- First aid
- Snow shovels
- Camping stoves and pots
- Fuel
- GPS
- Map and compass
- Food and drink
- Glacier equipment
- Toilet paper
Food and drink:
Food is included and you pick what you want from the storage at Svalbard - porridge for breakfast, freeze dried vacuum packed lunch and dinner, drinks (coffee/tea/juice), chocolate (100 grams per day), nuts, biscuits. If you would like more chocolate/snacks, please bring this yourself.
NB: If you are going to be on the first trip that starts in March, it is extra important that you bring warm clothes, as it can often be a bit colder at this time. You may want to bring extra warm wool socks and wool underwear.
