Ski Touring to Trollsteinen

This is a guided ski tour from Longyearbyen to the summit of Trollsteinen, a peak of 850 metres on Svalbard. The group starts from Nybyen, climbs through a moraine area with the glacier ahead, then crosses the glacier terrain towards the peak. At the top there is a lunch stop, and the way down is a ski descent over the glacier back to Longyearbyen.

The day runs six hours, from 09:00 to 15:00. Guests who rent equipment are collected at 08:15. The route is 4 to 5 km to the summit with about 650 metres of elevation gain. Groups have 2 to 6 participants, and the page rates the difficulty at 4 out of 5. The day starts with a pick-up at the hotel and a briefing from the guide at the expedition base.

Included are transport to and from the accommodation, an expedition style lunch with hot drinks, a headlamp in the dark season, and an experienced ski guide carrying the needed safety equipment. Guests bring their own skis, boots, poles, skins and helmet, windproof clothing for skiing, a warm sweater or down jacket for the lunch break, a water bottle and a backpack. An avalanche probe, shovel and beacon are mandatory, and all of this gear can be rented from the operator, as can the ski equipment.

The minimum age is 16 years. Participants need good physical fitness and experience of skiing off-piste, and ideally some earlier ski touring experience.