Svalbard

Svalbard, now what?!

Svalbard is all about polar bears, coal mines, photography, icebergs, international research stations, expeditions, geopolitical hotspot, tourist bucket list, Norwegian sovereignty, a Russian settlement, a seed vault to save humanity sometime in the future, walruses, culinary experiences, museums, rifles and beer. Get the picture? Probably not.

Off the Charts

Being on top of the world is captivating. A few years ago, I wanted to screenshot my pinned location on the map—only to find out I couldn’t—my red dot was stuck on top of the screen. I was on top of the world (and on the screen)—and it was a rush. Even doing a very normal thing, like having a beer at a bar—is very much exotic when in Longyearbyen, the northernmost city in the world, with Arctic explorers sitting in every corner.

Getting to Svalbard by Sail

Approaching the magnificent Spitsbergen Island by sailboat is nothing less than breathtaking. Crossing the Barents Sea from the mainland to Svalbard is a 500 nautical mile sail through waters full of whales and other creatures of the north. All of a sudden Spitsbergen rises on the horizon, Norway’s largest island—halfway to the North Pole. No filter can touch this. No caption can hold it.

Our focus is on the adventure of getting there by sail. Or on sailing from peak to peak surrounding Spitsbergen on our Ski & Sail trips. However—if you can spare some time, stay. Stay for a couple of days or more to explore Longyearbyen, the “capital” of Svalbard. You’ll meet adventurers and explorers from all over the world, and locals. A community of purpose, you simply do not accidentally stumble across Svalbard. The adventurous atmosphere is felt at the bar, the grocery store, at the art exhibition or up in the glaciers. Wherever you go, you will meet and regroup with the same life-loving people. Up here we are all one—with the same aim of being at one with the planet.

Our new sailing boat, Goxsheim, will be sailing at Svalbard all summer long. Would you like to join?

The Far Away Place

Everything around you oozes with the feeling of being far, far away from everything you know. In Longyearbyen pipelines lie above ground and houses are set on pillars—the permafrost ground will not hold infrastructure. However, this seems to be changing. Global warming is happening four times faster up here and recent reports on the melting of permafrost reveals severe implications for all of Svalbard—one example being that the airport runway is about to melt. Still a spectacular winter wonderland—experiencing climate change is one aspect of coming here.

Looking up at the plateau over Longyearbyen, you see giant golf ball looking objects spread out—the Svalbard Satellite Station. Arctic research is huge up here – Norwegian as well as international. The reasons are many, one being that the Svalbard treaty of 1920 gives Norway sovereignty, under the condition that Svalbard is being used for peaceful activity other than military defence to its sovereignty.

During the Second World War, the Cold War, and now again with Putin’s war on Ukraine—Russia questions all activity up north to be a breach of the treaty. This was never the case, but the territorial demonstration from Norway and Nato will naturally increase in times of trouble, it’s a geopolitical hotspot. In early summer of 2025, even His Majesty King Harald and Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway came sailing over the Barents Sea to Svalbard on Kongeskipet Norge (“The King Ship Norway”). This too added to the story of being somewhere special—at a special time in history.

Cheers!

Now, let’s talk alcohol. Any drink “on the rocks” just has more swag when the ice is cut from an iceberg floating by. Or how about a cold beer? Svalbard Brewery is the northernmost brewery in the world, with a good selection, including a line aged on bourbon oak barrels in former coal mines. Fun fact: due to the restrictions and rules at Svalbard, buying beer and other alcohol is allowed at one place only (except bars and hotels). It’s a monopoly situation, thus the name Nordpolet, that translates The North (mono) Pole.

Another peculiar situation is that of the Texas Bar. It’s been around since the 1920’—and it’s not really a bar. It’s a tiny simple hunters hut almost impossible to reach by skis, located at the north end of Spitsbergen. Since forever, alcohol has been left there by visitors. So, if you ever get there, you may drink whatever you’ll find at no cost, but be a gentleman or lady about it, and bring a bottle or two so the stock increases and this mythical bar is being kept alive.