Dogsled Svalbard Island in the Norwegian Arctic, Spring 2016
Wed Apr 27 – Wed May 4, 2016, from Longyearbyen on Svalbard, Norway
8 days (6 days of dogsled travel & camping, 2 days in Longyearbyen)
Renowned for its soaring mountains, glaciers, alpine valleys and polar bear,
Svalbard Island (aka Spitzbergen) is an adventurer’s paradise. In recent years, it has
also become a staging area for North Pole expeditions, including our own. We’ve
enjoyed our recent pioneering adventures on Svalbard so much that we're returning
to traverse the island from coast to coast on another 8-day High Arctic adventure.
The area we'll be traveling through is a protected wildlife refuge, home to polar bears, Svalbard reindeer, arctic fox and, along
the coast, various sea mammals; walrus, ring seal, bearded seal, Greenland seal, hooded seal, white-nosed dolphin, narwhal
and killer whales. Svalbard boasts the high Arctic's greatest variation in nature and fauna -- more than arctic Canada, Siberia
and Greenland. Svalbard lies half way between mainland Norway and the North
Pole (and is the northernmost place in the world that you can visit on regularly
scheduled flights!). Although it has no indigenous culture, dogsledding has been a
tradition on Svalbard among trappers, traders and explorers for hundreds of years.
We'll be traveling and camping with local dogteams on our expedition and we’ll
enjoy a variety of mountain, tundra, glacier and coastal scenery -- all in 'round the
clock sunlight! And you'll be traveling on Wintergreen's custom-built arctic freight
sleds. These have a platform on the back on which 2 people can stand to drive the
sled, which means everyone can travel by dogteam. The sledding is easy & fun nad
the camping is comfortable. We’ll have skis along if you’d like to try that at camp.
Trip Itinerary
Wednesday Apr 27: Team welcoming dinner and trip orientation meeting in the village of Longyearbyen (LYR) on Svalbard Island.
Lodging at a guesthouse. LYR is the northernmost town in the world. It has 2,000 residents and daily air service from Oslo on SAS. It
boasts a university, hip shopping mall with boutiques & delis, a theater complex and several great restaurants serving local fair, including
seal and whale! But right at the edge of town, you enter some of the most dramatic Arctic landscapes found anywhere in the far north.
Following our dinner meeting, we may have a chance to visit Arctic Adventure Kennel and meet our sled dogs -- buff and well rested
following their journey a week prior to the North Pole! These rank among the friendliest & most powerful working dogs on the planet!
Thursday Apr 28: After breakfast, we'll do a final personal gear check with everyone, pack up and head to kennel to launch our expedition.
What a scene as all 100 anxious dogs in the kennel shout "Pick me! Pick me!" Our route starts on a well-groomed trail up the lovely
Advent Valley. Then we'll sled into the trackless protected wilderness area through a dramatic ravine and camp near the Tronisen Glacier
amidst High Arctic beauty. Brace yourself – the dramatic scenery & vastness is overwhelming.
Friday April 29: After crossing a low mountain saddle, we gently descend the sweeping contours of
Lundstrom Valley, a favorite haunt of the reindeer. We may camp on Ratjorna Lake, an estuary set
against a stunning mountain backdrop & hemmed by glacial moraines.
Saturday April 30: As Kjellstrom Valley broadens out before us, we sled into Braganza Bay and onto
the sea ice of Van Mijen Fiord. A sun-swept protected bowl against the base of Shovola Mountain
makes for a great camp (and a great sliding hill for evening fun in the midnight sun!)
Sunday May 1: We’ll secure our camp gear and enjoy a leisurely day trip with empty sleds on a circle
tour of beautiful Rinders Bay. Reindeer, seals and arctic fox frequent this bay and we're almost certain
to see polar bear tracks (if not ‘Nanook’ himself, although the bears shy far away from dogteams). And
we’ll view the dramatic 100' icewall face of massive Paula Glacier. Weather and time permitting, we
may ascend the glacier to reach it's saddle where we can view Svalbard's east coast & Russia's
Barents Sea. Upon our return westwards up Rinders Bay, we'll camp near an historic abandoned
trapper’s station, a glorious site with a westward view down Bellsund & the setting for the 1998
acclaimed feature film "When the Light Comes". (The Golden Compass was also filmed near here!)
Monday May 2: We'll sled across Van Mijen Fiord past the small mining town of Sveagruva. Then we’ll
head down the coast and enjoy the expansive view from a bluff overlooking the ‘floe edge,” the open
ocean at Bellsund where we’re sure to spot seals & other marine life. Here we enter Nordenskiold
Land National Park & sled up the sweeping Reindeer Valley (you’ll set lots of these gentle creatures!).
That evening we’ll tuck into narrow Tver Valley for a sheltered camp & enjoy our final trail dinner.
Tuesday May 3: We sled up to the Bolter Saddle and then descend into a beautiful glacial bowl for our
grand finale – a trek into the magnificent ice caves. We'll secure our dogteams at a base camp near
the opening of this labyrinth and then, outfitted with headlamps and safely routed by a rope handrail,
we'll tour this enchanting subterranean realm adorned with shimmering frost flowers, ice stalagmites &
blue-green grottos. Then a final short stretch of dogsledding we'll take us home to the Arctic
Adventure kennels. There we'll treat & thank our dogs before treating ourselves to hot showers and a
celebration evening together with dinner, libations, lots of laughs and shared tales from the trail.
Wednesday May 4: Our final team breakfast and chance to share more impressions of our adventure. Fly to Oslo that afternoon & head
for home OR enjoy a day or two in LYR to visit the world’s northernmost museums, galleries & shops. It’s a cute town with plenty to do.
Gear & Clothing: All camping gear and warm
arctic sleeping systems will be provided. You
just need to bring appropriate personal
clothing. Loaner down parkas and pack boots
are available at no charge. Anoraks and snow
pants in all sizes can be rented.
Wildlife: We'll see Svalbard reindeer, arctic
fox, seal, and various Arctic birds. And if we're
lucky we may also see polar bear. But with all
our sled dogs around they're unlikely to come
anywhere near us. In any case, we'll follow
established protocol to ensure safe travel in
bear country. We'll care safety flares,
shotguns, 2-way radios and satellite phone.
Weather: We'll enjoy round-the-clock sunlight and transitional weather which could be either wintery or
very spring like. Below-zero temps are possible but it's more likely that we may see some thawing
temps. Spring will definitely be in the air! On all previous trips, the weather has generally been clear &
calm but we've occasionally experienced the drama of an arctic blizzards or wind days.
Group Size: 6-8 participants, who will be paired up to drive 3-4
dogteams pulling our Wintergreen platform-style freight sleds. These
each accommodate 2 drivers so that everyone can travel by dogsled
Guides: Wintergreen founders/directors Paul & Sue Schurke who’ll
be traveling along on skis to assist with the dogsleds as needed
Price: $5,250 includes everything on Svalbard: all group meals,
lodging, ground transport, guides, dogteams, camping gear, sleeping
bags. Price does NOT include airfare to/from Svalbard, restaurant
meals or unforeseen expenses due to travel delays. Price DOES
include an optional dogsled camping training trip at Wintergreen.
To register: Request our Arctic Registration Form & submit with $500
deposit (refundable till January 1). Balance due February 1, 2016.
For more info:
Prior trip pics: www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152421674919211.1073741830.185423354210&type=3&uploaded=40
Video of a trip similar to ours (same dogs/different sleds): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysqud3hEva8
Official Svalbard site with links to everything you’d like to know about Svalbard: www.svalbard.net/en
"What a glorious place! We traveled through deep valleys, over
mountain saddles, across glaciers, along the sea cliffs and ice
walls, out on the Barents Sea and even on ice caps high up in the
clouds. The Svalbard Island chain is home to over 2,500 polar bear
-- we saw lots of tracks but, fortunately, the bears kept their
distance. Reindeer were sighted daily, and seals along the coast. It
was a grand adventure and, given the high-spirited team we had, it
was big fun as well. None of us will ever forget the beaming smile
on the face of our 80-year-old team member Beth as she deftly
balanced on the back of her dogsled while traversing a glacier.
She has since written us to say this was the "best trip of my life!"
Dave G., Svalbard participant