10-days dogsledding, skiing and snow kiting

Sustainable winter tourism trip to Spitsbergen, the Arctic of Norway

Keep the Arctic wild!

Embark on a unique arctic adventure with Svalbard Villmarkssenter, one of Norway's five first certfieded Eco-tourism companies in 2008 and that also won the prestigious WWF Award for Linking Tourism and Conservation in 2002. For more information about Ecotourism Norway please have a look at this link. And because we aslo are following the ten prinsiples from WWF when it comes to tourism in the Arctic, you can find them here.

During this 10-days trip, we will explore the biggets island on Svalbard archipelago. Togehter with dog sledges, snow kites and skis, you will experience the silence without any noise of motorized vehicles. With 24 hours of daylight, we will move with the clock-free rhythm and experience the beautiful nature. We will leave only our own traces and therefore you will leave a positiv impact in the vulnerable Arctic. This helps that next generations also will have the posibility to experience the beautiful nature as we can.

The text continues under the movie

Ski for Nature. Telemarkzone in Svalbard from Colin Witherill on Vimeo.

Dates of depature:

19.04.2010 - 28.04.2010 and 03.05.2010 - 12.05.2010

Price:

NOK 38 500.– (about EUR 4500.–) Please keep in mind that the 10-days trip does NOT include your journey to Svalbard. Departure time for the trip is 10.00 o'clock.

Included:

• 10 days trip with accommodation in group tents and cabin with full board
• Dogsledding with guide with experience in the Arctic environment
• Professional and experienced snow kite instructor and telemark/mountain instructor
• Snow kite and ski equipment (without ski boots)
• Transfer

Not included:

Flights, arrival and departure, accommodation/food. You can stay in our cabin next to the main kennel for NOK 200,- per person (about EUR 25) per night. Please contact us for more information: info@svalbardvillmarkssenter.no Furhtermore, you have to bring your own sleeping bag, sleeping pad, ski boots (for telemark or ski mountaineering binding), helmet as well as an avalanche gear (beacon, shovel and probe).

Group size:

6 participants plus 3 guides. Limit of age: 18 years.

Programme:

After arriving in Longyearbyen, you will leave for a 10-days trip into the middle of Spitsbergen, sout of Longyearbyen, with three dog sledges, which will also pull you on your skis. The participants will also rotate to drive the dog sledges. If the wind conditions are right, you will also travel by snow kites. While the journey is our goal, you will have plenty of time to go ski mountaineering and skiing as well as to snow kite in the valleys. On these short trips from our camp site onto the surrounding mountains, you will experience the uniquess of the Arctic environment and midnight sun which came back in April. The instructors will be your guide and show the basic knowledge you need to have for doing snow kiting and telemark skiing. During your trip southwards, you will sleep in double-walled group tents on reindeer furs. After about three days, you will reach the Van Mijenfjord and our cabin, depending on weather conditions and our speed of travelling. This inlet is still covered with sea ice, and therefore you have the chance to spot seals and maybe even some other wild animals. On the frozen Van Mijenfjord, you will have the possibility to deepen your snow kiting skills.

For this trip, you need to be in "normal" good physical conditions abd be able to ascents up to 2000 meter high mountains as well as to drive the dog sledges or stand behind on your skis behind for some several hours a day.

In the first days, you will have a safety training concerning the danger in the Arctic of the cold, polar bears and avalanches. This will also include the handeling of dog sledges.

Equipment:

Snow kites and skis with telemark binding are included in the price, but you need to bring your own ski boots for telemark or ski mountaineering binding, sleeping bag, sleeping pad as well as your avalanche rescure gear (beacon, shovel, probe). Please indicate in your booking or write us an e-mail which kind of boots you will bring. Furthermore, check out our equipment list under "Practical Advice". Remember that we are in the Arctic and that the weather can change from - 30 degrees to 0 degrees in few hours.

Catering:

All meals during the 10-days trip are included in this package, prepared in our own kitchen in town. We take care, that we include the catering into our ecological philosophy and therefore use suppliers which offers ecological food.

 

Each participant is a part of this trip, this means that you will also help cooking, setting up the camps, handling with dogs, etc.

Under "Our Philosophy" in the left menu, you can see why we are engaged in this kind of trips, and why we are an eco-certified company.