Ice Cave Hike - Into the Frozen World
Details
- © Giancarlo Gallinoro, Martin Fiala, Hans Baumann
Difficulty level (4 out of 5)
The trip is moderately demanding, mountain hiking and some crawling must be expected. Not suitable for people that are not fit or do not have experience with hiking upwards in uneven terrain, and/or with back problems or claustrophobia.
You must understand and be able to communicate in English, and be propperly dressed to join the tour. Sneakers and jeans is not accepted. See link here on how to dress on Svalbard.
Minimum 2, normally maksimum 8 participants in the group.
- November - May
- 09:30-15:00
- Approx. 5 1/2 hours
- Approx. 6-8 km in total
- Approx. 400 meters of elevation
- 12 years*
*Discount for ages 12 - 14 years old.
Price includes:
- Transport round trip
- Snowshoes/hiking poles if needed
- Ice cave equipment incl. headlamp helmet, spikes
- Warm lunch and drink
- Guide with necessary safety equipment
Recommend to bring:
- Good, warm and waterpoof hiking boots that go over the ancle*
- Warm clothes
- Cold drink (preferably in a thermos as liquid can freeze to ice)
- Camera
- Backpack
If you do not have warm hiking boots, these can be rented for NOK 100.
Extra clothing and equipment: Arctica
Itinerary
During winter, we find a frozen world of meltwater channels under Svalbard's glaciers. These channels form in the summer when snow and ice melt.
We either go with or without snowshoes, depending on the conditions, from the parking lot. Up to 400 meters in elevation to the ice cave's entrance - depending on which glacier we choose, either Larsbreen or Longyearbreen. You should be in moderately good physical shape for the hike up.
Once at the entrance to the ice cave, we dress up with helmets, spikes and headlamps before we go down into the cave. In here, we use time, so that you get to experience an underground world with halls, narrow passages and thick layers of great ice crystals.
