Svalbard, 24–31 May 2027: the week on board, the price, and who it's for
The Zodiac eases off the throttle a few metres from shore, the bow noses onto the gravel, and you step into ten centimetres of ice-cold water with your skis on your shoulder. Nobody has set foot here before you today. Ahead, a clean slope runs up to a summit you'll reach on skins, four or five hours above. Behind you, the schooner is already weighing anchor — by the time you ski back down, she'll be waiting in the next fjord. That's what a week of ski and sail in Svalbard aboard the Noorderlicht comes down to, and it's this one departure — a single sailing each season — that I want to walk you through.
The big piece on the week the sun never sets already covers the destination, the midnight sun and life on board. I won't go over all that again. Here it's the 2027 departure: the date, the day-by-day, the price, and the level of skiing it calls for.
The departure in one sentence
From Monday 24 to Monday 31 May 2027, twelve skiers board the schooner Noorderlicht in Longyearbyen, split into two groups of six, led by four PowderWeGo mountain professionals — eight days, seven nights, six days of skiing, one sailing in the whole season.
The week, day by day
Monday 24 May · Day 1 · boarding. You land at Longyearbyen airport, and a crew member meets you at the harbour. The afternoon is yours to wander the town. Boarding is from 6 pm. A welcome briefing with the pros and the captain — route, safety protocol, the week's weather window — then dinner on board and the first night at anchor.
Tuesday 25 → Sunday 30 May · Days 2 to 7 · wake, ski, sail. The rhythm sets in fast, and it's a good one. Breakfast from the chef: fresh bread, cereals, hot drinks. You build your packed lunch at the on-board buffet, climb down into the Zodiac and get dropped on a lonely beach. Touring skis, skins under the bases. The pro leads the climb and picks the line in real time — snowpack stability, aspect, the day's snow. While you're up and down, the schooner repositions to the next anchorage and waits for you below. You click out at the water's edge, come back aboard, take a snack, and sail on toward the next fjord. In the evening: a debrief with the pros, dinner at the shared table, and the sailing carries on under a sun that never drops.
The route hugs the coast: from Isfjorden, at the latitude of Longyearbyen, you skirt Prince Charles Island (Prins Karls Forland), thread through St. Jonsfjorden and work up toward Ny-Ålesund and Kongsfjorden — the King's Bay — sometimes as far as Lilliehöökfjorden if the weather and the ice allow.
Monday 31 May · Day 8 · disembarking. A last breakfast on board, off the boat before 9 am, transfer to the airport.
This is an indicative plan. The sea, the weather, the snowpack and the state of the ice decide, and the pros and captain are the only judges. That's the price of skiing where there's no lift, no patrol and no other group.
The skiing: four to six hours on skins, runs to the sea
Reckon on 800 to 1,000 metres of vertical a day, sometimes more, on skins, four to six hours depending on the peak. The slopes rarely exceed 40°, and the descents often run all the way to the shore — you ski, and you unclip with your boots in the water. Glaciated coastal summits, north-facing couloirs, open ridges above the fjords: the terrain from summit to sea earns its own article, and I'll send you there for the detail.
By late May the snowpack is at its peak, the sun no longer sets, and the cold, dry Arctic climate keeps the snow honest. Each morning the pro weighs their own field observations against the Norwegian avalanche forecast for the Svalbard region before settling on the day's line.
What level of skiing it takes
This is a departure for a strong, self-reliant off-piste skier who's comfortable in all snow — technical level 3 out of 5. You need experience of ski touring and of off-piste in deep snow, and the fitness to hold four to six hours of climbing several days running. It's neither a beginners' course nor a mountaineers' expedition: it's Arctic ski touring, made for a skier who knows where they stand. If you're unsure of your level, read our guide on the level an adventure ski trip takes, then write to us before booking — we'll give you an honest read, with no sales pitch.
On safety: everyone gets the full pack on board — airbag pack, transceiver, shovel, probe. Our pros are AECO-certified and work at one professional to three skiers. Outside the settlements, the Svalbard rules set by the Governor require precautions against polar bears and a means of deterrence: the pro carries it, and a watch is kept ashore. The bear, you see from a distance, from the deck — I go into it properly in the piece on the polar bear and safety.
€9,500 per person: what's in it, what isn't
The rate is €9,500 per person, flights not included.
What's included:
7 nights aboard the expedition schooner, in a twin bunk-bed cabin — compact, warm
Full board: the chef's breakfast, a mountain packed lunch, a snack back from the ski, a three-course dinner at the shared table (6 pm – 8 pm)
Two PowderWeGo mountain professionals per group of six
The full safety pack: airbag pack, transceiver, shovel, probe
The three crew — captain and two sailors — for the sailing and life on board
The airport-to-schooner transfer in Longyearbyen: we meet you at the harbour, it's handled
What isn't included:
Your return travel to Longyearbyen
Your ski touring kit: clothing, skis (100 mm minimum underfoot advised, 110 mm recommended), boots, bindings, skins, poles, helmet
Alcoholic drinks and soft drinks on board (self-service bar all day, at extra cost)
Travel and repatriation insurance, compulsory, to be produced before boarding
The single-cabin supplement, on request and subject to availability
The private-group, tailor-made-programme option
All the details of what's included are on the Svalbard ski and sail trip page.
The flight budget and the night before boarding
Add the flights on top. Reckon on around €400 to €700 from the major European cities, via Oslo or Tromsø, into Longyearbyen airport (Avinor). I'd recommend a night on the way, in Oslo or Tromsø, to arrive rested and to cover any missed connection. Block out ten days in total on your calendar. We can help you sort the flights, and the article on getting to the schooner lays out the route.
How you book
Simple, no catch: 50% deposit on booking, the balance no later than two months before departure, by transfer or card. The share that covers the boat is non-refundable — it's spelled out in black and white on the page, so I'd rather say it straight away. Places go in order of booking and fill up months ahead. Twelve places, one sailing a season: the safest move is to hold an option as soon as the date speaks to you, and confirm later if you need to.
In brief
Dates · Monday 24 → Monday 31 May 2027, 8 days / 7 nights, 6 days of skiing
Departure / return · Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Group · 12 skiers, 2 groups of 6, 4 mountain pros
Ship · schooner Noorderlicht, twin bunk-bed cabins
Level · strong, self-reliant off-piste skier, technical 3/5, 4 to 6 hours climbing a day
Vertical · 800 to 1,000 m a day, sometimes more, slopes rarely beyond 40°
Price · €9,500 per person, flights not included
Flights · around €400 to €700, via Oslo or Tromsø, allow 10 days
Booking · 50% deposit, balance 2 months before, option available
A few things people ask before booking
The level of skiing for this departure
A strong off-piste level, self-reliant, comfortable in all snow (technical 3/5), with ski touring experience and the fitness for four to six hours of climbing several days in a row. In doubt? Write to us before booking.
A cabin to yourself
Yes, a single-cabin supplement exists, on request and subject to availability. By default, accommodation is in twin bunk-bed cabins.
The ski width to bring
Touring skis of at least 100 mm underfoot, 110 mm recommended for deep snow. Ski kit isn't provided; the safety pack (airbag pack, transceiver, shovel, probe) is.
Skiing Svalbard in May
May is the window. By late May the snowpack is at its peak, the sun no longer sets and the dry cold keeps the snow good, which is exactly why this single departure sits on that precise week.
A word from me. I've been doing this since 2001, and Svalbard is still one of the few places where you ski a slope no one has touched, with the sea at the tips of your skis and a boat that picks you up at the water's edge. We run it once a year, for twelve. If it speaks to you, don't let the window pass. — Boris Malesset, founder of PowderWeGo
The full programme, what's included and the cabins are on the Svalbard ski and sail trip page. To hold an option or have your level assessed, write to us — we answer quickly, and without a sales pitch.
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