Facing Delirium to Ski North Pole Couloirs – Wavy 2

Ever get the sudden urge to race off to the North Pole and bomb down some arctic chutes? Surprisingly, you wouldn’t be alone in that. Niko Schirmer has now made his second mission by boat to Svalbard, a small collection of islands in between Norway and the North Pole known for having bad snow, terrible visibility, and an abundance of hungry polar bears. What’s not to love? This time around, Niko was accompanied by Canadian freeskier Celeste Pomerantz, Matts, the skipper and boat captain, and local legend, Asbjørn Næss, the papa bear of Svalbard. Despite the less-than-optimal conditions associated with this region of the world, the stories of unskied couloirs, glacial plateaus accessible from the sea and countless mountain ranges to explore piqued the curiosity of both Niko and Celeste and these two riders couldn’t help but drop everything and check this place out when the opportunity arose. Cabin fever, sea sickness and a few curious polar bears were just a few of the bumps they encountered on their trip, but overall, the runs they skied made everything worth it.