Unforgettable Adventure: Ski-Sailing Expedition to Svalbard 2025

Story of our ski-sailing adventure in Spitsbergen - Svalbard archipelago aboard the Noorderlicht with PowderWeGo , from LongyearByen to Ny-Alesund, crossing the Isfjorden, the St Jonsfjorden and Kingsbay.

Our guides, Lionel, Olivier, Stephane, and Boris from PowderWeGo, accompany you on your ski touring adventures to the ends of the earth.

We are honored to have such an incredible and international team of skiers: Diane, Nicolas, Olivier, Éric, Bruno, Pierre, Jean-François, Damian, Edward, Colin...

And also Franck - Grand reporter, Malou Peterson and Lea Bouard - both pro-skiers. Thank you all for your enthusiasm, your trust and your generosity.

Skiing in Svalbard is no small feat. Beyond the magnificent landscapes and the ever-present sense of adventure, we are on the edge of the world, in an environment where the mountains, but also the wildlife, particularly polar bears, can turn against us if we are not prepared and vigilant.

To ensure the safety of our 13 skiers, we are four professionals: two high mountain guides and two ski instructors specializing in off-piste skiing and ski touring.

We must pass the AECO Polar Guide exams, obtain a firearms license to be able to protect our companions in the event of an encounter with a bear, and prepare ourselves for safe travel on land in the habitat of these formidable predators, the largest in the world.

PREPARATIONS ON SITE

Day 3: Lionel, Olivier, and I arrive in Longyearbyen three days early to prepare for the arrival of our adventure companions. We rent firearms to ensure the group's protection, analyze snow conditions, and complete our AECO polar guide exams.

Day 2: Our first adventure companions arrive in Longyearbyen, and we give them a warm welcome. The air is filled with the scent of adventure.

Day 1: For early arrivals, we organize a bonus ski touring trip from Longyearbyen. The sun is shining, and we find a thin layer of delicate powder to ski on the glacier.

THE CRUISE

Day 1: We arrive at the port of Longyearbyen, where we welcome the entire team and take up our quarters on board the Noorderlicht.

Unfortunately, Malou's luggage and one of my luggage did not arrive on our respective planes.

We find a pair of rental skis for Malou. We set sail aboard the Noordelicht to cross the Isfjorden, in preparation for our first day of skiing north of Longyearbyen the next day.

Day 2: Isfjorden. We disembark and are lucky enough to see whales swimming in the distance in the Forlandsundet, which separates Spitsbergen Island from Prince Karl Farland. The light is superb and the snow magnificent. At the end of the day, Marco, the captain of the Noorderlicht, agrees to sail back four hours to retrieve Malou's bag and mine, which have arrived by plane in the meantime.

Day 3: St. Jonsfjorden. We spend a fantastic day ski touring, following a large looped backcountry ski trail designed by Lionel and Olivier. We encounter wild reindeer and traverse a stark and grandiose landscape of moraines, immense glaciers, sweeping mountain passes, and dizzying faces reminiscent of Iceland, Greenland, and Alaska.

On board the boat, the atmosphere is relaxed and sometimes festive. Small groups form, break up, and reform as the adventure unfolds. Most of our companions brought fine bottles of wine to accompany the delicious meals prepared by Maria.

The boat's crew takes great care of us.

Day 4: Engelsbukta > Ny Alesund. We spend another fantastic day of freerando skiing, crossing Engelsbukta to Ny Alesund. The boat circled the fjords to pick us up at Ny Alesund, the northernmost human settlement in the world, located at over 79° north.

The snow is soft to ski on and the weather conditions are invigorating. The fan is working well as we arrive near the ridges.

In the evening, we celebrate Pierre's birthday. As the midnight sun rises, an entire family of beluga whales swims around us, as if to celebrate these exceptional moments with us.

Day 5: King's Bay. At the end of Ny Alesund Bay, after our ski touring ascent, we overlook colossal glaciers. One stretches north for about 150 kilometers, while the other stretches south for an equivalent distance. Before us, the Three Queens, these mythical mountains named after the three queens of Denmark, offer a breathtaking spectacle.

We ski down a steep valley that opens into a superb funnel. In a world of austere, mineral moraines, we finish by skiing a strip of snow at the bottom of a canyon for several hundred meters to the beach. Thrills guaranteed.

Back on the boat, we enjoy a refreshing drink made from ice from an iceberg, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years old.

Day 6: King's Bay. Today, the weather is quite overcast, with a few snowflakes and a brisk wind. Mountain vibes, as we say around here.

We decide on a relatively sheltered circular route, where we traverse a pass rather than seeking a summit. The wind is invigorating, visibility is good, and everyone is immersed in these conditions, which remind us of the scale of the universe in which we are evolving.

The skiing is good on this little carpet of fresh snow, and the storm is strengthening the bonds between us.

Back on the beach, we stop at an authentic cabin, a remnant of Svalbard's historical heritage. It is perfectly preserved and maintained, and time seems to have stood still for over a century.

Day 7: We return to Isfjorden for a final day of skiing. The weather has one last surprise in store for us: 5 to 10 cm of fresh snow, a beautiful ray of sunshine as we descend, and for the more adventurous, a swim in the Arctic Ocean under the sun as we return to the boat. Sublime.

In the evening we return to Longyearbyen, where we have dinner and spend the evening at Kroa, the town's friendly and lively pub.

On the eighth day, we said our goodbyes to the Noorderlicht and to each other on the dock at Longyearbyen harbor. Each of us left to take our flights, the images and memories of the magnificent polar lights etched in our minds. We looked forward to seeing each other again for more extraordinary adventures.

Thank you all again for your trust.

Boris and the PowderWeGo team

BONUSES

Adventure preparation

Surviving training 1/4

Surviving training 2/4

Surviving training 3/4

Surviving training 4/4

A team with attitude 1/2

A team with attitude 2/2

A team with smiles

The essence of life