Face The Arctic

This trip will be an exclusive outdoor experience – one of a kind: 

• Explore the small capital Longyearbyen and its rich history of a coal mining town
• Venture to explore a local ice cave in a nearby glacier
• See the world famous seed bank
• Learn to shoot with a rifle and to set up a bear protected camp
• Learn to manage Huskies and be pulled on skis by a dog sled
• Learn to snow kite in Arctic valleys
• Climb and ski fantastic Arctic peaks in Arctic powder with views to the fjords in 24/7 light – thus, the 7 days appear more as 14 days….
• Learn about Arctic human-environment systems and experience climate change first hand
• Make new contacts and enlarge your network with adventurous skiers and explorative minds.

In A Nutshell

An exotic and wild ski tour adventure in the extreme Arctic environment of Svalbard, challenging body, spirit and mind while exploring the science of Arctic human-environment interaction with its natural and cultural beauty. We use dog sleds, skis and kites to maximize our adventure & experience, and to minimize our travel impact on the island.

What To Xpect

We will spend the first two days in Longyearbyen, to get acclimatized, get acquainted with the culture, get our gear ready and learn how to defend and save ourselves in case of an emergency, including a rifle training on the shooting range and an introduction to Husky dogs. We will meet local people and have a science discussion at the local university centre. Then we are ready for heading out into the wilderness. A dog sled taxi will bring us to our camp in the mountains where we stay for about 4 days in a group tent. From this camp we will do day ski trips, climbing mountains on ski tours, exploring the surroundings, watching wildlife, learning to snow kite, learn about avalanche safety and visit the partly frozen fjords.
An example of a typical day out in the wild: when we wake up we check weather, conditions and wishes for the activity of the day. We infuse ourselves with some introductory science aspects related to the Arctic, climate (resilience), tourism, and the focus of that specific day. While having breakfast, we jointly develop some guiding questions. Then we are ready for our dogs taking us into the area to facilitate our skiing, or for starting to climb on skis. As we’re enjoying the outdoors and the rest of the day, we let discussions evolve around these questions and our experiences with lots of space for spontaneous infusions and experiences. On our first day out in the wild, we will set up our camp, and the last day we need to break it off. We will spend the last night in Longyearbyen again, in a cozy cabin at the sea.

Skills And Equipment

This trip will provide you with a long lasting inspiring experience. In May there is 24h daylight and the sun will just be up all time. Temperatures are not too cold anymore and are often just below freezing point. Wind protected areas may become even spring like with warmer temperatures around freezing level, but temperatures may drop down to minus 15 degrees Celsius anytime. We ski for 5 days in the beautiful Arctic mountains. Obviously, we will be skiing off piste, we tour, we climb peaks with skis and skins, we skate on the flat, and we snow kite. So you need to be an experienced skier who can ski any slope off-piste with a backpack safely. Be fit to climb up to 1000m vertical on a day. We stay some nights out in a group tent and cook our meals together. We are social and need to team play while being in a group of up to 10 people for 7 days. Our guides Tobias Luthe and Patty Kluytmans will carry a gun, in case an emergency with a Polar bear would arise, and are trained in wilderness survival, avalanche safety, and rescue (we carry emergency satellite phones). For more info about their profile and experience ask us.

The Tour Package

We offer a fully guided trip of 7 days in a small group of 7-10 people, plus two guides, for the package price of € 1800,- per person. The Arctic of Svalbard is an extreme and isolated region where costs of everything are very high. Thus we created a great group deal and a tour price including the following:

• 7 nights of accommodation; both in an apartment (Longyearbyen) and in our snow camp in a group tent
• Transportation to/from Longyearbyen to our camp by dog sled taxi
• Food and drinks for the days in our snow camp
• Professional guiding by two guides with long time Arctic experience
• ½ day learning to dog sled with Huskies
• A rental snow kite to learn to kite on skis
• Safety courses on Arctic survival, avalanche safety, and shooting
• Science discussions and meetings with local people
• Safety equipment, including ammunition for training shooting with a gun for Polar bear safety
• Compensation for the 2,4 tonnes of CO2 we are approximately emitting, through myclimate. This does not include compensation for your personal flight. If you wish to do so, an easy to use calaculator is available on the website of myclimate.

What you need to cover yourself:

• Your own flight to/from Longyearbyen
• Your own skiing equipment (can be rented/bought)
• Sleeping bag, mattress, personal equipment as stated above and outlined in the extra equipment list (sleeping bags can be rented as well)
• Food and drinks for the days in Longyearbyen
• Have your own travel and health insurance
• Any extra costs that might appear, e.g. by extra activities in/from Longyearbyen

Reservation And Booking

Make your reservation today by sending an email with your name, phone and address to info@lifexperiences.com.

Our next tour dates: May 17th - May 24th

You will receive a confirmation with more details on the booking and payment procedure on your reservation email. For further questions, send an email to info@lifexperiences.com