I first got the idea for a ski trip like in 2013, while studying Arctic Biology at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS). During plenty of Snowscooter trips we explored as much as possible of this amazing island. However, I felt like something was missing: everything was too quick, the noises and tracks of Snowscooters everywhere were an eye sore and we hardly had time to really explore the landscapes and details within. That's how the idea for a long skiing trip through scooter-free areas in the most exteme glacier and sea ice covered areas developed.
Initially, my plan was to ski from the East coast over the large frozen Storfjorden onto the island Barentsoya and back over Olav V land. Unfortunately this did not work out in the end: the sea ice conditions were not safe for a trip like this and eventually we put the plan to rest.
In 2014 I wanted to try again and put out another call for like-minded people, this time to do a trip to Svalbard's highest mountain called Newtontoppen, choosing a route across the inland ice caps and glaciers. I was thrilled when Petra first agreed, and everything seemed to work out this time round. But again, there was a last-minute change of heart and we ended up going to Hardangervidda in mainland Norway instead.
That year, I returned to Svalbard for another scooter-based trip.
Now, in 2015, the original idea is finally becoming reality. Petra and I figured out that the only place where we can avoid scooters or any other signs of human activity is to go to Heer Land, which is teeming with polar bears and sports huge glaciers and plenty of sea ice. We even found more people who wanted to join, so that we now are a group of six, with different levels of experience and from two different countries (Germany and Czech Republic). Again there were some hurdles to overcome, including flights times and prices, permissions and insurances from the Governeur (Sysselmannen), possibly scooter transportation to and from the area and accommodating the needs and wishes of everyone in the group.
You can find a preliminary planned route on following link:
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