Svalbard Explorer

Overview

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Experience Svalbard on this 7-day ski journey

Introduction

Come with us to Svalbard, located at 78 degrees north on the northern fringes of Europe, to experience untouched arctic wilderness where the polar bear is king. Longyearbyen, one of the world’s most northerly settlements, offers the jumping off point for a wide variety of options for exploring the polar regions ‘close-up’. In fact, this ski trip is purposely designed in this way, to give an action-packed ski adventure in a short period of time, but beware – it’s still long enough to be ‘bitten’ by the polar bug, leaving you with a lifetime desire to want to come back for more!

The expedition comprises 7 days on our circular route ski journey- everyone will haul their own equipment in a sled, as well as their share of the communal group equipment. Six nights will be spent in tents, and all take part in the work required to complete the journey. This is also a unique opportunity to learn what it is like to be on tour in "winter time" in a polar environment.

Start point: Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Grade: 3C

Experience Required

Previous experience on cross country skis, pulling a pulk, and camping in winter conditions.

Accommodation

We use Guest House 102 in Longyearbyen as a starting point for all of our expeditions. Here the service is good and our equipment store is located a stone's throw away. On our journey, we overnight in 2 - 3 person winter tents from Hilleberg, which are specifically designed for winter and harsh conditions.

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Tailor Made Trips

We can organise this expedition on a ‘tailor-made’ private basis for groups of friends, families, clubs, charities or any other group. The cost of going private can be surprisingly reasonable. Please contact us to discuss the itinerary and your preferred dates. We will then send you a quote, with no obligation.

Additional Information

If you wish to discuss any aspect of the expedition or your suitability for it, please phone +44 (0)114 276 3322 or contact us.

Know Before You Go

Jagged Globe supports the British Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) 'Know Before You Go' campaign. We recommend that you read the FCDO Travel Advice for Norway/Svalbard on the FCDO Website.

What the price includes

• Economy class return flight from UK to Longyearbeyn (Unless joining 'Land Only')
• 1 nights' hotel accommodation in Oslo on the outbound journey (Unless joining 'Land Only')
• 2 nights' hostel accommodation in Longyearbyen on a bed and breakfast basis
• Transport from to/from Longyearbyen – Bolterdalen. Dropoff/pickup by bespoke taxi and trailer
• 6 nights' tented accommodation
• All meals whilst on the expedition
• GPS, satellite phone and emergency beacon
• Experienced Polar guides
• All common equipment, skis, poles, ski boots, sledges, harness, sleeping bags, etc
• Burners and fuel
• SAR Insurance and permits
• Medical and repair equipment
• Jagged Globe kit bag

What the price does not include

• Airport transfers in Svalbard (Approx 180nok)
• Food and drink in Longyearbyen
• Personal equipment
• Costs of changing the air ticket due to late return to Longyearbyen
• Excess baggage charges
• Bar bills and laundry
• Travel insurance
• Optional trips
• Tips

Tailor Made Trips

We can organise this expedition on a ‘tailor-made’ private basis for groups of friends, families, clubs, charities or any other group. The cost of going private can be surprisingly reasonable. Please contact us to discuss the itinerary and your preferred dates. We will then send you a quote, with no obligation.

Insurance

You will need a travel insurance policy that caters for the activities you will undertake on your trip with Jagged Globe. It is a requirement of our booking conditions that you have such a policy. For a list of insurers who specialise in mountaineering, trekking and skiing, please see our Travel Insurance page »

Itinerary

Here is an outline itinerary for this trip. A more detailed day-to-day itinerary is available as a downloadable PDF »

Outline Itinerary

Day 1:	Flight from UK to Oslo Overnight hotel at Oslo airport (Unless joining 'Land Only').
Day 2:	Flight from Oslo to Longyearbyen Longyearbyen is the only settlement permanently inhabited all-year round on Svalbard. We overnight in Longyearbyen. Briefing, kit check, issue of equipment and expedition food in our indoor equipment store, just across the road from the guesthouse.
Day 3:	Travel to Bolterdalen east of Longyearbyen, to start skiing In the morning, we finish our pulk packing before departing by bespoke taxi in the afternoon from the guesthouse in Longyearbyen to Bolterdalen. We won’t travel far on skis this first day, as we re-find our ski legs and also learn how to set up camp in a polar bear environment.
Day 4 - 8:	Ski journey crossing the mountains to the east of Bolterdalen, returning along Reindalen and Tverrdalen The next 6 days will be 'on ski tour' exploring the glacial wilderness areas of Dronbreen, Kokbreen and Bolterdalen, away from the usual tourist areas accessed by snowmobiles. En route during the ski tour, we will cover specific training skills of cross country skiing with a pulk, polar navigation, and polar bear defence. We expect to ski approx 70km in total – being flexible to weather and snow conditions, and allowing time en route for exploring relics of Svalbard's 'trapper' history and glacial features (hopefully we can also explore inside an icecave). After skiing approx 6-7 hours each day on skis we establish camp, make dinner and melt snow for the next day.
Day 9:	Descent to Adventdalen In the morning, we descend to the husky dog kennels at the northern end of Bolterdalen, before taking the bespoke taxi back to our accommodation in Longyearbyen. Time to sort kit, shower, and celebrate our achievement. Overnight in Longyearbyen.
Day 10:	Return flight home.

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Reports & Reviews

First Expedition: April 2022

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