The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard is situated to the north of the Norwegian mainland, latitudes 74N to 81N, between the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea.
”The northern end of the ocean” mentioned in the 12th century Icelandic chronicles, it is nearest it is feasible to sail and land to the North Pole, the starting point for many of the greatest adventurers that raced to reach the northernmost point on Earth. It remains one of the remote frontiers of the planet.
65% of the archipelago is covered by ice, a rugged cruising area, most spectacular and contrasting. As our guide Daniel Farquharson puts it “One of the magical things about skiing in Svalbard is the constant proximity of glaciers. Everywhere you look, they are calving into the sea. There are few things more magical than skiing down from a summit which meets the sea”
There are no roads connecting inhabited areas, nor the fjords that are the keepers of our preferred ski domains.
The ideal season to reach fjords free of icepack and benefit from best snow conditions begins mid-May and will typically extend to mid or end of June. We will be sailing the west coast, mainly in the Kings Bay, itself sheltered from oceanic swell by the 50 nm long Prins Karls Island.
As we navigate into the fjords, a magnificent array of peaks and glaciers will appear close us, a skier’s dream playground immersed into Arctic scenery. The ski-touring routes involve peaks ranging from 500 to 1’100m and 4h to 8h tours.
Fauna in the Svalbard is most protected, with 20 natural parcs the home of Arctic wildlife. Gliding silently over water on our sailboat we will approach the wildlife unobtrusively, crossing paths with thousands of birds that migrate in the summer, walruses, bearded seals, whales, deer, polar foxes and with the imposing polar bear.
