11.03.2023
Follow Norrøna Hvitserk's journey across Svalbard from north to south. Along on the trip are Lars, Svein Erik, Mariann, guide Morten, and the dog Nico, who will cross the length of Svalbard over the course of a month. We're crossing our fingers for good weather and wishing them good luck!
March 26: Camp 1 - 77.39678ᵒN 16.33137ᵒØ
Beautiful weather, blue sky, sunshine, and little wind. The group was transported from Longyearbyen and dropped off at the national park boundary. They started skiing around 1:00 PM and reported that it was incredibly enjoyable to finally get started! They covered about 7 km before setting up camp. From camp, it was reported that everyone is thrilled to be out on the trip. They took an early evening to be ready for the upcoming storm. The snowmobiles that brought the group also dug a depot for them on the Doctor Glacier.
The 3 guests on the trip with guide Morten are in good spirits. Nico, the dog, seemed a bit more skeptical about the whole setup, but Morten is hopeful that it will get better.
March 27: Watherbound
Today, the weather is poor, with a strong easterly gale and wind gusts of 22 m/s. Morten reported some gusty winds around 9 AM, but it seems the worst is over now. The group has been weatherbound today, but everyone is fine.
March 28:
Today, the weather was better, and the group covered 17 km. It was a bit windy but mild with good visibility. The dog Nico has started pulling and worked well all day. Two other groups are up here simultaneously with our group, and today a French group passed by. They didn't go over to greet them because they wanted to keep their distance. The other group is on their way out from Longyearbyen now.
March 29: Camp 3 - 77.08909ᵒN, 16.86494ᵒØ
Today, the group covered 21 km in beautiful surroundings. Before lunch, they reported clear skies and sunshine. They set up camp on Horn Glacier between two small crevasses. For dinner, they had Real turmat with an extra dollop of butter.
March 30:
Challenging conditions today. The group is approaching Ice Bay, a critical point to reach the southern part of Spitsbergen, and they are uncertain about the conditions on the glacier. Today had heavy snow, poor visibility, and wind, but the highlight of the day was an ice cave, which served as a nice place for a break.
March 31:
Today was an exciting day when it would be decided whether it was possible to go all the way south or not. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to cross the glacier due to poor lighting and too many crevices to attempt a crossing. Therefore, the group turned back at Ice Bay and has now begun the long and wonderful journey northward.
April 1:
The day had whiteout conditions almost all day, but the last part of the working day cleared up. The sleds are a bit lighter now, and the group is getting into the groove. They covered 22 km today. There's a possibility of bad weather over the weekend, which the group is eager to see how it unfolds.
April 2:
They covered 21 km today. It was still a whiteout, and there was some wind. The temperature has dropped, and this Good Friday does not offer typical Easter weather on Svalbard this year. Stormy weather is expected over the weekend, so they will likely have to be weatherbound for a few days.
April 3:
Today, they finally experienced Easter weather! It was sunny and calm, the best day of the trip so far. They covered 23 km today. A small storm is expected tomorrow and possibly a full storm on Sunday night. The group has prepared well and built windbreaks.
April 4:
The group is weatherbound. Another group traveling across Svalbard from north to south had to be rescued today, but our group is doing fine.
April 9:
The group is in Svea, where there is mobile coverage, and they have received some pictures. They report that the weather has been quite harsh, especially in the last four days. Guide Morten says, "Four days ago, there were hurricane gusts again, and we started walking to get shelter behind the Ronden mountain. We had a headwind uphill all the way, so it was tough. The day after, we were weatherbound, but we've had practice, so it went well. Yesterday was a warm day with wet and heavy snow. At 2 PM, it cleared up, and the sun came out, which was perfect because we needed visibility to get down to Scheele Glacier, with lots of crevasses. It was a long day to get far down and avoid standing guard against polar bears. We covered 27 km in 10 hours, but tomorrow, we will "relax" and only have 7 sessions, which we all look forward to."
April 13:
Everything is going well with the group. Today, they were met by the support team on Fimbul Ice with supplies. The dog Nico felt that the journey was long enough and was replaced with a new dog. Nico had become a bit thin and needed rest. Finally, the group has had some good weather after a lot of bad and harsh conditions.
April 16:
Message from the group: All is well with us! Sporadic coverage. We are on Lomonosovfonna now, and everything is going well. The mood is good as we've had very good weather in the last few days. The new dog in the group is a female named Spotify; she is calm, gentle, and pulls well.
The group also reports that they have only seen three sets of polar bear tracks so far on the trip. The picture below shows the tracks of a male bear that walked around the camp and into a moraine, where they found tracks of a female with cubs.
April 19:
The group has been on Kvit Glacier on Sunday and Monday. Unfortunately, they have had quite rough weather again. In fact, it was hurricane-strength winds on Sunday night. They spent Monday fixing the tent, and today, they are back on the move. Despite having a strong breeze today, it's skiing weather for this group. They have experienced a lot of tough weather.
April 22:
The group is making good progress, covering 22 km per day. The plan now is to pick them up in the far north of Svalbard at Verlegenhuken on Monday evening, April 26.
April 27:
he group has returned to Longyearbyen after a challenging but fantastic journey. Guide Morten says: The last few days were white with a brisk wind in our faces. We reached Verlegenhuken on April 26 at 11:00 AM on a day trip from camp. Overall, the distance has not been a problem on the trip; only 4 days did we go for more than 7 hours a day. In a pinch, we could have gone longer. All the guests are rightly proud of enduring the weather, which has been very tough at times, so tough that we had to take turns to keep the tent up during storms. The group had a total of 6 weatherbound days.
On April 26, the snowmobiles arrived to take us home, and on Tuesday, we set off for Longyearbyen at 4:00 AM. The snowmobile ride back was a big improvement with very nice weather. We finally saw all the mountains we passed under during the whiteout. The conditions were good, and we were back in Longyearbyen at 2:00 PM.
This is a demanding but fantastic trip, highly recommended for adventurous people who enjoy long ski journeys!
