Svalbard 11-day skiing and sailing tour in the Arctic Ocean, Norway

Join IFMGA-certified mountain guide David on an 11-day exploratory skiing and sailing adventure in the Svalbard archipelago, in northern Norway. This trip is only for intermediate to advanced skiers.

Group

1 Day

May, Jun

High

Intermediate

Description

The Svalbard archipelago (1,713 m) is located in the Artic Ocean, midway between continental Norway and the North Pole. Its rugged mountains, glaciers and fjords offer outstanding skiing opportunities in a wild, magical environment.

Our trip will begin in Longyearbyen, Svalbard’s largest village, best known for being the northernmost city in the world. During the first three days, we will have time to check out the town, as well as for short ski touring day tours and other short-distance outings, such as visiting an ice cave or a snowmobile tour to Barentsburg, a small Russian mining town.

On our trip’s fourth day, we will board the Noorderlicht, a two-masted sailing yacht that will take us to the best ski touring areas along the west coast of the Spitsbergen Island (1,717 m), the largest in Norway and the 36th largest in the world (37,673 km2). Our first ski tour will be in the Isfjord, the second longest fjord in the archipelago. If we are lucky, we might spot some typical Arctic wildlife along the way, such as polar bears, seals, reindeers, and different sorts of seabirds.

After each skiing day, a Zodiac motorboat will take us back to the Noorderlicht to enjoy a relaxing dinner under the Arctic sun! Svalbard’s high latitude and long spring days will give us 24 hours of daylight.

This is an intermediate to advanced program. You must be an intermediate to advanced downhill skier with previous ski touring experience to join this trip.

Enjoy this premium ski touring expedition in the fascinating Svalbard archipelago. Book your trip now!

If you are looking for other exciting ski touring adventures, check out the Lake Louise ski touring day tours in the Rocky Mountains and the Niseko week-long ski touring program in Japan.

Price includes

- Accommodation included

- Guiding fee

- Breakfast

- Dinner

- Transport during the trip

Price details

Please note that the price includes accommodation and all breakfast and dinners on the Noorderlicht. However, the price does not include:

• Transport to and from Longyearbyen

• Accommodation in Longyearbyen

• Dinners while in Longyearbyen

• Personal equipment (e.g. personal ski & safety gear, overnight gear, sleeping bag, etc.)

• Trip cancellation insurance, adventure travel insurance, and medical insurance.

• Additional costs for accommodation and transportation due to changes in the program due to weather conditions.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Longyearbyen, Svalbard

Arrival at the Svalbard Airport Longyear in Longyearbyen from Oslo via Tromsö in the early afternoon. Transfer to the hotel.

We will have time to visit the town, including the Polar Museum.

Day 2: Ski touring day trip

Ski touring day trip close to Longyearbyen, returning to the hotel.

Day 3: Ski touring day trip

Ski touring day trip close to Longyearbyen or an alternative snowmobile tour to Barentsburg, a small Russian mining town in Svalbard and the second largest settlement in the archipelago.

We will return to the hotel.

Day 4: Ski touring day trip and boarding the Noorderlicht

Ski touring trip close to Longyearbyen or an alternative visit to an ice cave 4 hours away.

Those who would like to join the boat trip only will arrive today.

We will board the sailing yacht around 4PM and depart around 6PM after a safety briefing.

Day 5 to 10: Ski touring in Spitsbergen Island

On day 5, we will sail one hour to our first ski tour in the Isfjord, the second longest fjord in Svalbard.

The following days we will stop in different ski touring spots along the west coast of Spitsbergen.

On day 10, we will return to Longyearbyen around 4PM and enjoy a farewell dinner on the boat.

Day 11: Farewell

We will have an early breakfast and head back to the airport. We will fly to Oslo via Tromsö to catch our international connections.

Details

More info

Average temperatures in Svalbard for May are highs of -1C (30F) and lows of -3C (26F).

Meeting point

Longyearbyen, Svalbard

About the guide

David

Mountain Guide

I am an IFMGA and ACMG-certified mountain guide based in Nelson, British Columbia. I'm the lead guide at Summit Mountain Guides, a guiding agency I co-founded back in 2007 and which offers year-round guiding services and courses in Canada and Europe.

The mountains of western Canada have been my playground since 1992. I'll be happy to take you mountaineering, backcountry skiing, rock climbing, hiking or ice climbing in this area I know so well. From day trips to multi-day adventures, I can guarantee an unforgettable and safe experience.

The SMG team of guides will help you with your trip's logistics, safety and contingency plans so that you get the most out of your backcountry experience and can just focus on having an amazing time on the mountain!

Languages

English

Certificates

ACMG | UIAGM | IFMGA

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