Ski touring in Svalbard: the level, the season, the kit

Ski touring in Svalbard sets people dreaming long before they leave: the sailing boat at anchor, glaciers sliding into the sea, the sun circling above the horizon all night. Before booking, three questions turn up in almost every email we receive: the level it takes, why late May, and what goes in the bag.

Here are our answers, so that you can see whether this departure suits you. The day-by-day programme and the price have a piece of their own, linked further down.

Everyone at their own pace, in the same track: the skin up begins almost at the water's edge.

The level for skiing Svalbard with us

This is the question that gives most people pause. For ski touring in Svalbard, the technical benchmark is a level 3 out of 5: you already tour and ski off-piste in deep snow, and you ski a slope on your own. The slopes rarely exceed 40°. What matters is feeling at ease on broad faces that often run all the way down to the sea, and wanting to link them one after another.

For fitness, the benchmark is also 3 out of 5. A typical day means four to six hours of skinning for 800 to 1,000 metres of ascent, sometimes more. At the top, a long line runs down to the shore, the boat waiting below. If you walk in the mountains in summer and fit in a handful of touring days each winter, you will feel quite at home.

Snow that holds and even slopes: linking turns off-piste is all it takes.

Unsure of your level? Ring us before you book, tell us what you usually ski, and we will look together at whether this departure is for this season or the next. To get your bearings before the call, our piece on the level our adventure ski expeditions ask for sets out benchmarks by type of terrain.

Late May, under the midnight sun

One departure a season, and it falls in late May: for 2027, from the 24th to the 31st. The date follows the snow and the light.

By then the snowpack is at its peak, kept all winter by a cold, dry Arctic climate. And the sun no longer sets. You ski a line late in the evening, come back aboard for dinner, then step out on deck into the same golden light. We tell the story of this week without night in Skiing Svalbard, where the sun no longer sets.

By late May the sun no longer sets: it skims the peaks and the light lasts all night.

The bag: what we provide, what you bring

Your packing list fits on a single page, and a good share of it is already waiting on board.

What PowderWeGo provides:

• Full safety pack · airbag rucksack, transceiver, shovel and probe, the complete set, ready when you board.

• Full board · breakfast, a mountain picnic, a snack after skiing, a three-course dinner.

• Accommodation · a twin cabin with bunk beds; a single cabin on request, subject to availability.

Back on board: hot soup on deck, and the day is already being retold.

What you bring:

• Ski touring kit · skis, boots, bindings, skins, poles, helmet. For the deep snow of Svalbard, we advise a ski width of at least 100 mm underfoot, with 110 mm recommended.

• Clothing suited to the Arctic climate · enough to stay warm in the dry air of the long climbs.

• Travel and repatriation insurance · compulsory, to be shown before boarding.

• Two bags · a travel bag and a ski bag.

• Drinks · alcohol and soft drinks are extra on board, on a self-service basis.

A particular diet or an allergy? Mention it when you book and the chef will see to it. To see this kit at work on the glaciers, the north-facing couloirs and the slopes that run down to the shore, read about the lines we ski from summit to sea.

Skis, poles, harness and a light pack: everything else waits in the cabin.

What we take care of for you

In Svalbard you ski with our mountain professionals, certified by AECO, the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators. They follow the protocol laid down by the Governor of Svalbard for polar bears, a protocol included in the safety pack and one they are trained for. Before choosing a line, they read the Norwegian avalanche bulletin. You ski; they keep watch.

In brief

• Technical level 3/5, fitness 3/5: a self-reliant off-piste skier, comfortable over several hours in the mountains.

• Days of 4 to 6 hours of skinning, 800 to 1,000 m of ascent, slopes rarely above 40°.

• One departure a year, late May, under the midnight sun, with the snow at its peak.

• Safety pack and full board provided; skis (100 mm minimum, 110 mm recommended), Arctic clothing, insurance and two bags are yours to bring.

Your questions

Can you ski in Svalbard as late as May?

Yes, and it is the moment the snowpack is at its peak. The cold, dry Arctic climate has kept it all winter, which is why the season's single departure falls on these dates.

Are a few touring days each winter enough?

The departure asks for a technical level of 3/5 and a fitness level of 3/5: you tour and ski off-piste in deep snow, you are self-reliant on the way down and comfortable over several hours of climbing. If you are hesitating, ring us before you book and we will talk it through together.

Are 95 mm skis wide enough?

For the snow of Svalbard, we advise at least 100 mm underfoot and recommend 110 mm. The rest of the ski touring kit, boots, bindings, skins, poles and helmet, is yours to bring.

A cabin to yourself, is that possible?

Cabins are twins with bunk beds. A single cabin is possible on request, subject to availability on board.

And the week itself, with the price?

It is all in our dedicated piece: Svalbard, 24 to 31 May 2027: the week on board, the price, and who it is for.

"In Svalbard you set off with a light mind: the safety, the meals and the cabin are settled before you board. What remains is the best part, skiing down to the sea under the midnight sun." — Boris Malesset, founder of PowderWeGo, off-piste professional since 2001

If all this speaks to you, read about the week on board and the price, browse the Svalbard ski and sail expedition page, then write to us; we reply within 24 hours.