Course description

This intensive two-day field course gives you the skills and knowledge you need to do your own multi-day treks through three of the four Arctic seasons. The course opens up the Arctic to the trekker seeking the independence and self-reliance to explore it on their own. The goal is mastery of a free and comfortable lifestyle of traveling the wilderness for extended periods of time.

The overnight course-format systematically takes you through every practicality of “the daily trekking cycle.” We will cover staying warm and dry, water treatment and hydration, camping in the Arctic, food and nutrition, basic health and safety, polar bear precautions, long-distance trekking routines, and land navigation.

Mastery of this skillset gives you a solid foundation for any other outdoor activity in the Arctic, be it mountain climbing, glacier travel, kayaking, scientific field research, or nature photography. You will, however, not become an expert Arctic trekker in just two days, but you will acquire the basis for grining more experience on your own.

The beautiful mountains, glaciers and valleys south of Longyearbyen provide an ideal and realistic learning environment. The course is given in English, and classes are never larger than six students, and often smaller. There is no group work. All exercises are individual. Success is simple: You have done it, on your own, in the field, and when you depended on the results. Then you do it again, just to be sure.

Day one

We meet up (see start location below) and get acquainted before crossing the Longyear River and head up the slopes of the Sarcophagus Mountain to a quiet shelf on the mountain. Here, we talk over the course programme and learning objectives before going through the basics on how to stay warm and dry in an Arctic climate. We discuss trekking routines and how to actively use nutrition to keep up your energy. Finally we discuss polar bear precautions, while on the trail. You will apply these skills immediately when we head up the Sarcophagus Mountain, and you will be using them throughout the course from here.

We have lunch on the summit of the Sarcophagus Mountain, taking advantage of the magnificent view to discuss landscape types in the Arctic, and to do a navigation exercise. From here, you will be navigating us through the rest of the course period. You will need your skills immediately as you guide us across the Lars Glacier in search for our descent into the Far Valley. Good luck.

Deep in the Far Valley, we rest and discuss campsite selection and layout, toilet routines and environmental considerations, as well as polar bear defences around camp. Based on that, you will be selecting our campsite for the night. We setup camp, collect water and make dinner. We take this opportunity to discuss water purification methods and develop a “daily hydration cycle”. That concludes a busy first day.

Day two

After breakfast, we start day two by breaking camp. We take this opportunity to discuss equipment selection and how to develop an efficient and easy packing routine. Thus, well packed, you plan today’s trek and you plot our course.

Recapping our trekking routines from yesterday, we ascend out of the Far Valley and onto the second glacier of our trek: The Longyear Glacier. We have a break, and develop some basic first aid and emergency routines when trekking in the Arctic. You will notice immediately, that your cell phone has no signal!

We have lunch on the Longyear Glacier and take this opportunity to discuss nutrition and trail food. We will calculate the number of calories we had yesterday, and the composition of our food in terms of fat, protein and carbohydrates. We will talk about how to effectively use different kinds of nutrition to boost physical performance, counter fatigue, stay warm, fix muscle soreness and, not least, enjoy good meals on the trail.

In the afternoon, we make our final descent into the Longyearbyen, at which point we conclude the Arctic Trekking Course. By repeating (and practising!) the steps of the “daily trekking cycle” you did on this course, you can do your own treks, adding days, weeks and even months to your own adventures.

Congratulations! You have laid the basis for exploring the Arctic on your own. Well done.