Fly into Svalbard Airport just northwest of Longyearbyen and get transferred to your hotel in town. After you go over the trip logistics, get a good night’s sleep. You’ll need it for the adventure to come!
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This ski & sail adventure is aboard the Ocean Sherpa. Regardless of the boat you choose, the itinerary remains the same.
Enjoy a week of sailing and ski touring under the Midnight Sun! Make your way to Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost settlement, join a seasoned local guide, and chase the freshest lines on remote and untouched mountains! You will be aboard either the Ocean Sherpa or the Moondance sailboat, and you will switch locations almost daily to reach the best snow and get some epic descents. Your guide will adapt the touring to your group’s goals and abilities. All you have to do is enjoy the views and pick the most exciting slope you want to shred!
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Get settled in the sailboat, your home for the week. Head towards the beautiful Isfjorden, a majestic fjord in Svalbard. You will anchor in Trygghamna, which is where you’ll have your first day of skiing! The bay Trygghamna translates to “safe harbor”, as its calm seas give travelers the opportunity to disembark the boat and explore the wonderful surroundings.
Accommodation: Ocean Sherpa
Meals: Light dinner
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With today’s locations being Trygghamna and Ymerbukta, you will have plenty of options to leave your first turns in fresh snow. You will find lots of terrific and exciting terrain options here. Once you return to the boat, you’ll be served a delicious meal before heading towards St. John’s fjord.
Accommodation: Ocean Sherpa
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
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Today you’ll wake up in the wonderful St. John’s fjord, an area said to have potential gold hidden! Better go out and search for it, maybe you get lucky.
Accommodation: Ocean Sherpa
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
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The destination for these two days is Krossfjorden. You are now 79 degrees north, not far away from Kings Bay and Ny-Ålesund. This is the northernmost place of this tour, so make sure to fully enjoy the moment and take in this once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Accommodation: Ocean Sherpa
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
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This island is also known as the Foreland, as it’s the westernmost island in the Svalbard archipelago. These were most likely the mountains that William Barentz discovered in 1594, and he gave them the name Spitzbergen (due to how pointy they are).
Accommodation: Ocean Sherpa
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
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Isfjorden has countless skiing opportunities, and depending on the weather, your guide will take you to the best spots. Ski your heart out, as this is the last day of skiing!
Accommodation: Ocean Sherpa
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
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After a full week at sea and in remote mountains, it’s time to return to civilization. Disembark the boat, explore the charming Longyearbyen, and catch your flight in the afternoon!
Meals: Breakfast
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Included:
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- Experienced, certified ski guides with extensive knowledge of the area
- 8-day sailing & ski touring adventure
- Sailboat accommodations for 7 nights aboard the T/S Saeftinghe (double occupancy, bunk beds)
- Bedding & towels
- Professional sailing crew (skipper & first mate)
- Fuel and all port dues
- All breakfasts and dinners on board
- All field lunches
- Snacks
- Non-alcoholic beverages, coffe & tea
- Standard offshore lifejacket and lifeline
- Transportation to and from your hotel
- Shore landings and tours with the dinghy
- Sitting pads
- SAR insurance
- Safety equipment
Add-ons (pricing shown at checkout):
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- Full ski equipment package (alpine touring skis, telemark skis, skins, avalanche safety gear, helmet, ski goggles, poles, glacier travel harness for advanced touring)
- Avalanche gear
- Hotel package (2 hotel nights, excursion, airport transfers) — leave a note at checkout if interested
Not included:
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- Ski equipment & avalanche gear — rental possible
- Transportation to and from Longyearbyen
- Accommodation prior to and after the tour
- Alcoholic beverages
- Meals in Longyearbyen
- Voice and data communication using onboard equipment
- Guide gratuities — optional
- Insurance — recommended, available to add at checkout
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To enjoy this sailing & skiing adventure in Svalbard, prior ski touring experience is a must. Good physical fitness is essential, and you should be comfortable skiing in variable terrain, as Arctic conditions can be challenging.
The terrain varies from gentle slopes to steeper descents, with opportunities to explore untouched Arctic snowfields and breathtaking glacier landscapes.
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In order to join this sailing & skiing tour in Svalbard, you need to be an experienced backcountry skier.
Don’t worry if you’ve never been sailing before! You’ll have professional guides and crew onboard with you, and they will take care of everything. Still, the sails are easily handled so even unexperienced guests can take an active part in the handling of the ship.
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For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
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- Alpine touring skis, telemark skis, or splitboard with skins (can be rented)
- Touring boots and poles (can be rented)
- Avalanche safety equipment (can be rented):
- Digital, 3-antenna avalanche transceiver or beacon
- Lightweight snow shovel
- Avalanche probe
- Harness for glacier travel (for advanced touring)
For clothing, we recommend bringing:
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- 2 merino wool underwear long-johns
- 2 merino wool underwear t-shirts
- Fleece jacket and thin down jacket
- Wool sweater
- Big down jacket
- Shell jacket & shell pants
- 4 pairs thin merino wool socks & 2 pairs thick wool socks
- Beanies and buffs
- 2 pairs of gloves (1 thick, 1 thing) & glove liners
- Warm mittens
- Inside shoes for onboard the boat
- Leisure clothing for the boat
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
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- Water-resistant duffle bag to pack all your belongings in (90+ liters)
- Backpack large enough to carry all items listed (around a 30-40L backpack)
- Helmet
- Sunglasses and ski goggles
- Water bottle and 1L of water
- Sunscreen and lip balm
- Personal medication
- Toiletries
- Blister plasters and sports tape (if you’re prone to blisters or sprains)
- Camera — optional
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Yes, your guides offer full ski equipment and avalanche gear rental. You can add it to your booking at checkout.
The full ski equipment package includes alpine touring skis, telemark skis, skins, avalanche safety gear, helmet, ski goggles, poles, and glacier travel harness for advanced touring.
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Although there can never be guarantee of sun, May in Svalbard brings relatively good and stable weather. You’ll sail from point to point and go skiing depending on the weather conditions. Your guide will make sure to maximize your skiing time.
Regarding temperatures, it’s generally around -10°C (14°F) at sea levels with a variability throughout the day. Naturally, the nights are colder and temperature can vary depending on the altitude. Check out our clothing and equipment recommendations. We recommend packing more than you need, because the weather can come in quickly, and a sunny morning can soon become a stormy afternoon.
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Group sizes and pricing:
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- For this Svalbard adventure, there will be two guides.
- Saeftinghe accommodates up to 8 guests. It takes a minimum of 4 people for the tour to operate.
Min. age requirements:
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- If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
- Minors above the age of 16 may be permitted to join private tours on a case-by-case basis.
If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
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To get to this ski tour in Svalbard, most people fly into Svalbard Airport near Longyearbyen, the largest city in the archipelago and the starting point of this tour. There are daily flights to Longyearbyen from Oslo, Norway, but we encourage you to book early. Norwegian Air flies from Oslo, while SAS arrives from Stockholm.
Flying to remote Svalbard takes a while, so plan your journey ahead, and spend a day in town before departure on this tour. Your guide will organize for a minibus to transport you and your gear to your hotel in Longyearbyen.
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We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.
Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
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