Svalbard: An Epic Ski Adventure

Sometimes we want that something extra out of a holiday. Something more than a new discovery, total relaxation or cultural immersion. Sometimes, we look for a challenge. So, for the thrill-seekers, the adrenaline junkies and the intrepid explorers amongst you, we bring you Svalbard. Spend six-nights with our Arctic experts, cross-country skiing between mighty glaciers and vast peaks, making camp each night beneath the blaze of the Midnight Sun. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to survive in this harsh environment, from how to pitch a tent in a snowstorm to watching for polar bears at night. It may be a far cry from a week spent soaking up the sun on the beach of a tropical island, but it’s unique and it’s unforgettable and it will take you into a magical wilderness like none you’ve seen before.

Across Icy Waters

From Oslo on the mainland, it’s a three-hour flight up to the icy expanse of Svalbard and the small town of Longyearbyen, where your adventure begins. Spend tonight getting in a good night’s sleep and conducting final kit checks, before setting sail across the icy waters in the morning.

Across the fjords, you’ll reach the drop-off point for your expedition on the edge of the sea ice at Ymerbutka. Here, you’ll make camp at the base of Polhøgda Mountain and spend some time with our team of expert guides mastering the art of arctic camping before cooking dinner over the campfire and bedding down beneath the Mighnight Sun that blazes through the summer months. But there’s no time to rest out here and you will also pick up Arctic survival techniques as you take turns on polar bear lookout each night. Though, with the Midnight Sun lighting up the landscapes to give them an iridescent glow, it’s certainly no chore.

The Home of the Trolls

Over the next few days, you’ll strap on your skis each morning to navigate your way up the Esmark Glacier towards the Grand Mountain and the Home of the Trolls at Trollheimen. A corner of the world rooted in exploration and mythology, discover fairytale-dusted landscapes where mighty peaks rise up from sheer glaciers before falling away again into the icy waters of Ymerbutka. Making your way back down Esmark, you’ll get the opportunity to rope up and strap on your crampons as you make your way into some of the deep crevasses of Trollheimen. An experience that offers a whole new perspective on Svalbard, it will quite simply take your breath away – and not just from the adrenaline rush. To cap it all off, your final night in the wilderness will mark a real high as you spend the night camped atop the glacier front, looking out over the icy expanse before you. In the morning you’ll sail back to Longyearbyen, stopping off en route at the Russian settlement of Barentsburg, before flying home via Oslo.

A trip that will challenge and enthral, it’s a one-of-a-kind adventure that we’d hate for you to miss out on.