Free fall as dark blue fjords break the fields of permafrost descending into the sea. Sailing among whales and walruses on a sailboat, while watching for polar bears in the sunshine of the nightless night. Or a several-day snowmobile march into the wilderness to make first descents into gorges that don't end immediately. Viuppuvuoret offers adventure with a capital S for those who want it, if only they have enough luggage.
This blog does not tell about a boat trip or a sled ride, but about how you can go skiing in Huppuvuori from Longyearbyen. On the outskirts of the city, there are large landing lines for the needs of the month, if not even longer.
Jacob counts
At the beginning, it must be said that the snowpack is quite kinky in Huippuvuori. Winters are brutally cold without the sun, the winds are crazy and the rainfall is surprisingly low in this region, also called the arctic desert. According to the locals, especially in the vicinity of Isfjord, it is pointless to expect any larger-than-life powder fiestas. So it's not worth heading here after the great snow.
“Jalat yhteen” sano Sami. Kuva: Jacob
All the calculations I describe were made in May-June when the sun was roaring 24/7 in the sky, and the snowpack was already in a comfortable and safe condition. Many of the coolest lines are giant bowls where there is no point in taking even a small risk on sensitive snow.
Additional spice is also brought by the constant danger of bears, which must be taken without the slightest indifference. Seeing a large polar bear from the living room window pushes the reality of the risk into the head through the retinas at the latest. Bears can be anywhere! A light/bang pistol and a rifle should always be carried with you when moving outside the city.
A big male bear photographed from the living room window
Big paws with a friend.
Living in Longyearbyen isn't the cheapest in the world, but with a little effort and poor diet, you can somehow keep the budget in check. At best, the food is double the price level in Finland.
You can get around by taxi, and for most of the bills mentioned in this blog, you can go to the yard of the accommodation.
Milk whales in front of the city
Skiing in Longyearbyen's backyard
Trollsteinen top brush.
The mountains near Longyearbyen are all of such a model and shape that you can descend practically from anywhere. That's why making the first bills and grabbing it in your own name is meaningless and pointless. Best to just focus on counting!
1. East wall of Nordenskiöldfjellet. 2nd and 3rd Lars Hiertafjellet and Trolsteinen. 4. Trollsteinen east wall to Endalen. 5. The little guy from Kuru. 6. The best line of the east wall of Platåberget. 7. Cemetery wall. Source: TopoSvalbard.
The most popular afternoon hikes are the Trollstein and Lars Hiertafjellet hikes through the Larsbreen glacier. Relaxing gentle skiing for 800 vertical meters. Skinning for these starts at the end of the road, in Nybyen. You can get a nice link-up by skiing from the top of Trollstein along the ridge to Lars Hiertafjellet or the other way around. The descent of Trolstein's eastern slope to Endalen also brings variety to the hills in the backyard. However, this is best done at the time of stocking, because otherwise Endalen still has to skin down, with sticks instead of procrastinating.
Ida Trollsteinen Lars Hiertafjellet on the traverse
Laura Trollsteinen on the east wall
Tall Endalen
A steeper Kuru mountain can be found just outside the city limits, on the east wall of Platåberget. The wall above the old cemetery is the most popular place to practice steeper turns, but the king's line is the gorge behind Nybyen.
Up from Kuru
Graveyard fart
Of course, the descent of the 1050-meter Nordenskiöldfjellet should not be forgotten. However, Toppi collects the most cloud masses in the area, so you should schedule your landing plans for a cloudless day. I lowered the east wall on Midsummer's Eve, which may not have been very bright due to the snow conditions, but the views from the top are worth the effort.
Skinning work
Behind the fjord
Described Hiorthfjellet. I counted from the left top directly to the bowl
The most photographed mountains in Svalbard are Adventtoppen and Hiorthfjellet, which rise in front of the city. Many people who plan to ski ride on snowmobiles over Adventdalen, but you can just as well enjoy the four-kilometer flat stretch by skiing.
1. Adventtoppen. 2. Hiorthfjellet. 3. Birkafjellet. Source: TopoSvalbard.
The delta area of Adventdalen is good to be frozen when going to the mountains, but the riverbeds are also not too deep for wading in spring weather. I also had the idea of a kayak approach over Adventfjord from the end of the season, but it was not realized.
The easiest route to the top of both hills is through the saddle between the mountains.
Advent top. I counted the clearest gorge straight from the top
A brisk outdoor day can be achieved by climbing both mountains in the same session. I first climbed the southwest wall of Adventtoppen and then the south wall of Hiothfjellet on Norway's national day. There were a good 1700 square meters and it took a good six hours from village to village.
Adventtoppen is even semi-alpine
Birkafjellet, whose western aspect offers a nice descent, is a little further away.
Helvetiafjellet
Helvetiafjellet
One of the coolest landings of the whole winter was throwing the giant bowl of the south face of Helvetiafjellet. The 1079-meter hill is a little further away from the above and is also visually impressive. The Salmiak-style wall gives almost 900 meters of turns at a flat 35-degree angle. An absolutely amazing hill!
Helvetiafjellet!
Endless field
You can park your car next to Camp Barentz, which is the end of the road in Adventdalen. From there you have to skin again across the valley on a flat stretch several kilometers under the mountain, but it won't last more than an hour.
Towards the Finnish summer
My winter season started at the beginning of October here in Huippuvuori and has already continued for nine months. Now it's time to return to Finnish summer and rock climbing. Originally, we were supposed to live here in the Arctic for the whole summer, but luckily we changed our plans. The most important thing was that Ella graduated as an Arctic expedition guide!
You wouldn't believe it, but rock climbing burns so much that even when you're tired, you climb routes and reminisce about old times. At the same time, it has been realized that climbing in Finland is ultimately very great. It's pointless to scold our little rocks. Every 10-meter and one kruksimuuvi pothole, whatever you can find, is suitable for this emergency!