We have now been doing expeditions in Svalbard for more than a decade and many guests have been asking about new routes and longer trips. So, for the ski expedition season of 2026, we are very happy to announce this new itinerary that taking a group all the way to the northernmost year-round settlement in the world: Ny-Ålesund.

For 2027 we are planning for a North-South expedition on Spitsbergen, please get in touch if this is of interest. 

Ny-Ålesund has used to be an active coal mine, but from the beginning it was a staging ground for groundbreaking expeditions, especially towards the North Pole. The Swedish ballon expedition lead by André started from here, but most importantly this was the place where the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and the Italian Nobile set forth with the airship “Norge” and flew across the arctic ocean to Alaska, being the first (confirmed) humans to see the North Pole.

Today Ny-Ålesund is a thriving research station and the northern most of its kind in the world.

The trip will start with boat transport to the sea ice in Ymerbukta on the northern side of Isfjorden, this is a beautiful one-hour boat ride before we put our skis on for the first time. We will climb up onto Esmarkbreen and from this point and we will be travelling on glaciers all the way to Kongsfjorden. During the trip we are in “polar bear country” all the time and this means that to ensure safety and to comply with local regulations, we will all be taking part in keeping the camp safe while we sleep by having a person awake all the time during the night. This is an experience for life to be alone in the total stillness under the midnight sun.

We will travel up to the high glacier plateaus, through mountain passes and make our camps along the way. During the trip we will aim for the “famous” mountains of Tre-Kronor (the three crown mountain) but the specific route will be kept flexible to ensure the best conditions for travel.

From Ny-Ålesund we get picked up by boat and taken on a beautiful boat ride back to Longyearbyen, during this boat ride there is a good chance to see wildlife like walrus or even the great blue whale.

This trip is a demanding expedition, both weather and terrain can be challenging, we do not recommend this trip for first-timers on a ski expedition, for you we recommend one of our other trips before heading out on this one.

Day 1        Arrival in Longyearbyen, supper and briefing. Lodging at guesthouse/hotel.
Day 2        Packing the equipment. Last minute shopping. Lodging at guesthouse/hotel.
Day 3-13   Boat trip out and start on our skiing expedition. Sleeping in tents. 
Day 14      Ski off the glaciers and to the boat pick up spot, boat trip back to Longyearbyen.                              Dinner and lodging at guesthouse/hotel.
Day 15      Breakfast and journey home.

Please be aware that this program might be turned around to start in Ny-Ålesund, this depends on ocean conditions to make the long boat ride possible. 

Day 1
Arrival in Longyearbyen. Your guide will meet you at a local guesthouse, where you will stay the first two nights. You will meet the rest of the group and be served dinner. Your guide will go through the program for the trip and the skiing route.

Your guide will also go through your personal outdoor equipment with you to make sure you have everything you need for the trip and that the equipment meets the standards that the Arctic environment requires.

Day 2
After breakfast we will do the last preparations and pack all our equipment for the trip. You will be teamed up with 1 or 2 other expedition members with whom you will work together and share a tent on the trip. You will also be shown how to put up your tent and how to use some of the equipment that you will be using on the trip. There will also be time to make your final personal preparations and adjustments before the journey starts. Your guide will also go through safety routines, skiing routines and how to handle the dogs in the best way possible (if we can bring one!)

There will be time for some last minute shopping and some time to look around in Longyearbyen.

Day 3
After breakfast the trip starts. We will be transported by boat across the Isfjorden. This scenic fjord on the northern side of the great Isfjorden is our gateway into the real Arctic wilderness. When we arrive the other side, the boatman will put us safely onto the solid ice in front of the glacier. From here we will work our way towards land and up onto the glacier. This evening will be the first night in tents.

Day 4
When we wake up, it will be to the stunning view from the glacier and the surrounding mountains. Most of this day will be in an easy up hill, until we reach the plateau at about 500 meters above sea level.

Day 5 to 13
Full days on the glacier plateau.
We will make our way across this vast and flat glacier landscape. Up here, the winter is still going strong, we can get hard winds and low temperatures, or we can get fabulous mild and sunny days. No matter what kind of weather, this great landscape will give us a real taste of how big and impressive Arctic nature can be.

Day 14
Last day on the ice. We pack up our camp as usual and start our way down the glacier front, through the moraine landscapes and onto the sea ice. Around lunch time the boat will be there to pick us up and we travel back to Longyearbyen. If conditions, time and the scientists allow, we will make a short stop in Ny-Ålesund itself. We cruise close past the settlement by boat. After arriving at the port in Longyearbyen we will all be transported back to the guest house for a hot shower and a good dinner.

Day 15
Breakfast and journey home. 

The weather can vary during the day, and with respect to the safety of our guests, we reserve the right to make any necessary changes to our trip. We always recommend to accommodate for weather delays when booking flights. 

- Items marked with * can be provided by Turgleder on request for free or at an additional cost. Any additional cost is given in parenthesis. Information about equipment you need must be conveyed to Turgleder minimum 1 month before the trip.

- Please note that this is the minimum required clothing and equipment for this holiday. You are of course welcome to bring other clothes and equipment in addition to this.

- You should pack your clothing in waterproof bags to avoid equipment from becoming wet during the tour.

- If you choose to bring your own sleeping bag, this needs to be a warm winter sleeping bag with minimum comfort temperature >/=-20Celsius.

- If you choose to bring your own sleeping mat, it must be suitable for camping on snow. A foam mat (roll mat) should be thick /insulated enough for use on snow (≈14mm). If you also have a inflatable mat you can bring that and combine it with the roll mat, that you can hire from us (this combination ensures extra comfort).

- You are of course welcome to bring your own skis on this trip. The skis must, however, be mountain/expedition skis (back country skis) or touring skis. Racing skis or other narrow and/or short skis will not do the job. The skis are vital on this trip and anything other than mountain/expedition skis or touring skis are not considered safe to use on this trip.

- Turgleder can provide a modern expedition ski package;
The package contains modern light weight expedition skis (Åsnes Amundsen / Nansen) and poles (Åsnes Ingstad), skins and boots (Alfa Polar A/P/S or Alfa Quest A/P/S / Outback). The price for hiring the ski package is NOK 2700 for the whole trip.

-Please do not forget your camera with extra batteries and memory card(s)

Turgleder will provide:
- All group equipment like, tents, stoves, cutlery and cooking equipment, pulks (sledges for equipment transport).

also all neede safety/communication equipment as weapons, flare gun, emergency beacon, first aid kit, InReach and sattelite telephone etc.

Equipment that you do not need on the expedition can be stored in Longyearbyen.

Dates for 2026

• 1st - 15th May

Min. 6 and max 10 guests + 2 guides
Private trips are available on request from 1st May to mid June.

The price includes:
Guide, all meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 15 (except lunch and dinner day 2), some equipment (specified in equipment list), 3 nights lodging in Longyearbyen, 11 nights in tent, search and rescue insurance.

Lodging:
Single rooms are available for an additional NOK 900 per day, total NOK 2700 for 3 nights.
The nights in tents, teams of 2 to 3 persons will share one tent.

The price does not include:
· Travel to/from Longyearbyen
· Extra activities in Longyearbyen
· Lunch and dinner day 2
· Personal equipment (please check the equipment list)
· Snacks to eat between the meals (we recommend sweets, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, cheese, dried meet etc)
· Travel insurance
· Any unforeseen expenses due to delays due to weather or safety considerations.

We would like to encourage you to stay a few extra days in Longyearbyen to explore the town and the surroundings. We recommend that you stay one or more days after the trip also as a security for weather related delay coming back to Longyearbyen from the skiing trip.

If you need more information about this adventure before you make your reservation/booking, please feel free to contact us via mail@turgleder.com or call us on +47 90855556 (Liv).

When you are ready to book, please go to “booking” under the «general information» tab and fill in and submit the booking/registration form. When we receive your booking/registration form we will reserve a place for you and send you a booking confirmation also including some questions if necessary and a waiver/disclaimer of responsability. When all details regarding your participation are in place, we will send you an invoice. Your reservation is valid for 7 days after the invoice is sent. The waiver/discalimer of responsability must be signed to be accepted as a member on this expedition.
For more information, please see our booking terms and condition under the “general information” tab.

Note: If you do not receive a reply right away, please be patient with us. We might be out on other adventures without any internet connections. However, if you have not received a response within 3 days, let us know.