Svalbard Adventures

...since my last post.

The Semester is over and even though we all recognised the time flying by it came as a surprise. Especially the last weeks before the finals were pretty intense and got us even closer. But as soon as the exams were written a lot of people started to leave all the sudden. It was a weird feeling to say goodbye to someone every time a plane left.

Initially me and a couple of friends planned a ski-camping trip to the other side of Isfjorden (Trygghamna). We had everything planned out packed gear, bought food, rented a boat and organised a driver.  When we arrived at the boat we realised that it was far smaller than expected and we would have to go over several times to transport all the people and our gear.

After some time off I'd like to present you something we've been working on for some weeks now.

From the 23rd of March to the 30th Tim and I have been visiting Nik in Svalbard. It was an amazing experience up there 78° north, a number you can't forget as it is written everywhere.

After our nice cabin weekend I had just enough time to by some more wool Monday morning before we left at noon. We drove our scooters to Barentsburg, the Russian settlement first. As most of the trip the weather was amazing.

A lot has happened the last days: Skiing, an awesome Party and a lot of uni. But today I'd like to share my latest trip with you.

When we were doing a ski tour last week it was very windy. In combination with the low temperatures that can be quite unpleasant. One of my friends didn't bother, he had a fur ruff around the hood of his jacket. Since he made it himself I decided to do the same.

I know! You haven't heard from me in a while. To be honest I was very busy skiing. And when I wasn't I had to be in uni or attend parties. You see it's been quite rough but I hope this litte skiing gallery will light up your mood.

By the way: THE SUN IS BACK!!!

In this article I'd like to shed some light on Esther's questions and write about my first day in the field yesterday. I'm really happy to receive questions about whatever you think I could answer. It makes writing a lot easier. Therefore thank you Esther!

It's been a while since my post about the snow scooter course. But don't worry I didn't forget you! I've just been very busy practicing with the BigBand for the, believe it or not, northernmost music festival: Polarjazz.

Wendsday we finally got an introduction how to ride snowscooters. They are the mean subject of transportation around here and the valleys literally turn into highways as soon as there is enough sonw on the ground. We will use them a lot during the fieldseason on our excursions. But before we were allowed to go out we got an basic course in scooter mechanics and how to pack the sledges (basically trailers).

Close to my Barrack there is an abandoned Mine. After a ski tour in the morning a couple of friends and I went up to check out the place and take some pictures. The mine was in use from 1937 until 1968. Today it is protected as cultural heritage and can be visited. It was a lot of fun to wander in the abandoned place and check out the stuff that was left behind. Many parts are covered with thick ice at least this time of the year.

Our lecture this morning got cancelled and we used the opportunity to do another tour to Trollsteinen. In the beginning it was a little cloudy but during the ascent it opened up. Unfortunately it started snowing when we reached the top. Never the less it was a great trip and the snow on the way down was once again perfect.

Tonight we had a nice bondfire right behind my house. And even the northern lights visited us. Check in for some pictures.

This week uni finally started. After an exhausting 6 days of safety training it is nice to be back on a more relaxed schedule. The first lectures were mainly an introduction to the geology department as well as the main objectives of the courses. We already went on a little excursion today also.

On the last day of our safety course we went over all of the things we learned so far. Afterwards we had an exam which was followed by a gathering.
The exercise took place on a snowfield about half an hour walk from hour student housing. In groups we had to solve different parts to the topics covered by the course.

If people know one thing about staying in Svalbard then it is that you are required to carry a rifle as soon as you leave the settlement. This is a safety measure towards a potential polar bear attack. To be prepared for a possible encounter we get trained how to shoot a rifle and handle flare guns.

Looking out of the window this morning the weather seemed quite rough. It was snowing hard and it seemed to quite windy. Everybody was dressing up for a blizzard. But when we got out we recognised: Yes it was snowing and yes the wind was blowing but it was warmer than the last days. Therefore I needed to stop several times on my way to UNIS to open zippers to let some cold air in between my layers.
The weather didn't change during the day. So the exercises of the safety course finally didn't feel as much like training anymore.

My fist day at UNIS was very interesting but so long that I fell asleep as soon as I got home. It started with the walk from Nybyen to Longyearbyen at 8 a.m. and we had lectures until the evening. Today was not as exhausting and I could manage to write another post.