July 2024

Inhabited Arctic archipelago.

I'd dreamed of visiting Svalbard for years. The fact that it's so far north, perpetually cold, yet populated, filled with wildlife, and easy to access all drew me in. What would it be like?

 

In summer 2024 we went on a months-long roadtrip through Norway and knew now was the time. We flew up from Tromsø.

 

The first disclaimer about Svalbard is that it's crazy expensive. Not only is it remote, but it's also geared towards high-end tourists, as well as being a part of Norway - one of the world's most expensive countries.

The second disclaimer is that anyone venturing out of town is required to carry a rifle for polar bear protection. Getting a rifle means you have to have experience with a rifle, be able to convince authorities of your experience, be granted a permit, and then find a rifle to rent. Oh, and you need to carry this 8-10 lb piece of gear in addition to all your other backcountry and cold-weather gear. No small feat.

Because polar bears can and do fatally attack people in Svalbard, any backcountry camp needs to have a night watch. So every member of every group needs to take shifts at night, forgoing sleep, for bear watch.

Additionally, getting out of Longyearbyen generally means chartering a boat - another massive price barrier.

For these reasons, there are very, very few travelers that do any type of independent expedition in Svalbard. It can be done, but it's hard to determine if the juice is worth the squeeze.

 

We agonized what to do in planning our week here, and ultimately realized the only legal and realistic way would be to go with a guide. Not our style, but it's better than never seeing Svalbard.

 

We researched multiday guided glacier traverses, mountaineering ventures, and sea kayaking. All were absurdly expensive (~$400/person/day at minimum). I couldn't justify paying $6000 USD for two of us to spend a week hiking in Svalbard. So we decided to do guided day hikes only, for a fraction of the price, and stay in Svalbard's only campground, just outside Longyearbyen, for about $30 USD/night.

 

It was a blast. The campground is filled with all sorts of other intrepid travelers, where we could swap stories and bemoan the lack of independent adventure together. The guides were all friendly characters from Sweden, Moldova, England, Australia and elsewhere, and didn't pamper us like I feared.

 

Moreover, the place is s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g. This was our first trip in the high Arctic, and we were smitten. Endless daylight, cold sunshine, flat-topped 'peaks' and a world of three colors only - blue, brown and white - make this archipelago unique.

 

Yet I had a constant longing on each hike to see what else was in those faraway peaks and massive glaciers. I constantly wondered about getting farther into this Arctic wilderness, and how to make it happen.

 

There was no simple or affordable way.