Ski touring in the backyard of Svalbard, Backyard Svalbard

Backyard Svalbard runs guided ski touring day trips from Longyearbyen into the Arctic mountains. Certified ski guides lead each group, and the operator lists four formats: sunny winter, midnight, dark winter, and a combined ski and snowmobile day. Guests climb on skins and ski down in powder snow, and the guides pick mountains with stable conditions and better snow. A private, tailor-made version is also offered, where the route, pace and length of the day are adjusted to the group.

The sunny winter, midnight and dark winter tours each last five hours. The ski and snowmobile tour lasts eight hours. Each guide takes up to six guests. The sunny winter tour runs March to May, the midnight tour April to May, the dark winter tour February to March, and the ski and snowmobile tour February to May.

Guests can bring their own touring skis, climbing skins, poles, boots and helmet, plus a transceiver, an aluminium shovel and a probe, and a backpack of 35 to 45 litres. Rental of the ski and avalanche package can be added when booking, and the operator needs ski, boot and helmet sizes.

Participants need intermediate skiing skills and good fitness. They must handle off-piste terrain in changing snow, climb with skins, keep going for hours and control their speed. The tour is not meant for people who need an introduction to ski touring. On the snowmobile tour guests drive themselves after a short introduction and need no earlier experience, but they must hold a valid category B driver's licence in physical form. Two people can share one snowmobile and swap driving.