Thread: TR: Champagne glass, Svalbard (78 degrees north)

Part of Mount Opera at Svalbard (Google map link) is shaped so that when the snow melts in the summer, the remaining snow forms a champagne glass (sort of). 950 meters on the map. Nice view, not dark until well after 22. I went with some local heroes to ski it.

Ready for the snowmobile trip over th the foot of the mountain (5-10 minutes):


Switching to skis (and also warming up my frozen chins after 50km/t in -15C with some holes in the face coverage):


View from the hike up:


Summit, at 21:30:


View down to the snowmobiles (yes, they are there), and Longyearbyen in the background:


More viewage:


Rubbish photo of rubbish skiing conditions. We didn't ski the glass, but the next bowl up in Adventdalen ("Advent valley"?).


Break with view of Adventdalen:


Looking back up, while arranging for the 1km(?) snowmobile pull back to the where the others were parked:


More & larger pictures, including exciting Norwegian captions here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bzzzt/s...7604365005798/

I didn't think it was light that late until May.

Was that you I saw, leaving the snowmobile rental on friday, with a pair of Dynastars (8800´s) on your back?

I was planning a hudge Svalbard TR from last week, but sadly I had too much work to be done while there to get any good skiing done. Now back on the mainland...

SiSt: Nope, not me. The trip was on Wednesday.

Coooooolness.

More true arctic TRs please.

wow! this may qualify as the "farthest north TR evah".

I was thinking the same... I don't think there is much vert to anything further north...

thank's for the photos. My friend sea kayaked around Spitsbergen and had a cool photo of a whale frozen into a glacier. Do you live there or is Svalbard like a vacation spot?

those are some great photos…
I'd love to go there one day

Originally Posted by BFD

thank's for the photos. My friend sea kayaked around Spitsbergen and had a cool photo of a whale frozen into a glacier. Do you live there or is Svalbard like a vacation spot?

The very nice software company I work for in Oslo have granted me a "home office" for 5-6 weeks, so I semi-live here (with GF, who does her law work for the governor). Marvel at my tastefully furnished office (and our livingroom + kitchen) here:


More TRs to come - it´s been snowing, and there will be midnight sun in a few days :-)

that almost looks like another world

I was surprised to here that poster talk about snowmachine rentals in a place with a population of about 2000 people. Anyway posts like yours are what makes the internet so remarkable. First hand repots of anywhere anytime.

Every visiting Norwegian wants to go sledding when on Svalbard, as sledding is pretty much banned on the mainland. There are generally a lot of tourists there too.

Sledding rocks BTW. Going ~150km/h on a frozen fjord pretty much rules. And jumping on them was very cool as well. Even if it was a tiny jump.

Bump for stoke

Cool TR. And some spectacular lighting for the photos.

Super sweet!

Nice. I thought that Svalbard was just a made up location in a book, now I know better.

Bzzt,

I am going to be up that way for work. I was wondering if I could PM you and get some more detailed info about what it is like in svalbard.

Hey Norway mags, what's the least expensive (while practical for a foreigner) way to get to Longyearbyen from Tromso?

that looks cool. excuse my ignorance but did you have to carry a rifle for polar bear encounters?

^ AFAIK, it's required by law!

I think cheapest is to fly, unless you are really good at boat-hitching, and really lucky.... Not sure who flys up there these days, I think Iceland express did at one point but it appears they don't now... Let us know what you find out!