Postscript: It turns out fireworks of an entirely different nature occurred this New Year's, as a polar bear seen near the edge of town literally a couple of minutes past midnight was shot and killed a few hours later because the governor said there was no other practical alternative due to multiple visits by the bear to town in recent days. The controversy has been fierce since, both locally and among those following the story elsewhere.
http://icepeople.net/2020/01/01/as-usual-shooting-of-polar-bear-on-new-years-sparks-outrage-at-governors-decision-to-kill-animal-and-the-presence-of-humanstourists-in-svalbard/
1
Beautiful and once in a lifetime experience! However, I keep on worrying for the well being of the huskies and the polar bears...
6
Whatever else anyone has to say about this travel piece, can we agree that it is extremely well written and a pleasure to read?
13
@Jeana Except for the part where she casually mentions that all pregnant women must leave weeks before they are due...???? Hello? golden opportunity for some explanatory writing but she just leaves it as that.
2
@Mr Poor Starr there are no hospitals capable of delivering.
Thanks for sharing this. This sounds like my dream vacation. Except for the dog sled excursion. And I might give the glacier trek a pass also. But I'm all in for the meals and watching the stars and the Northern Lights.
Amazing story. I can only dream about a trip like this. Beautiful writing.
9
A wonderful place to experience the Aurora and learn more about the subarctic is the Churchill Northern Studies Center outside of Churchill, Canada. You learn, experience and and support important research in an eco friendly facility. We visited to see the Northern Lights and as a bonus, learned about ecology, sustainability and cutting edge research. The food is cafeteria style, but is absolutely amazing and we had some of the best meals imaginable. It is dorm style rooms but clean and comfortable. This is a way to learn, experience and support important work all in one. It was a lifetime experience we will never forget!
5
I agree, Ben. Our stay at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre is a highlight of a lifetime of travels. We saw more polar bears than we could count and learned so much from the experts at the Centre. The day we arrived was also the day Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived, as the town of Churchill celebrated the re-opening of the train from Winnipeg to Churchill. It’s hard to beat shaking hands with your Prime Minister while holding a hot dog barbecued on the street in Churchill!
A well-written article! The author captures the northern climate and environs to a tee.
Having spent some time up in the Arctic esp. in the Canadian tundra, the author’s depictions of the aurora and how it mesmerized her really transported me there and evoked memories of my own time spent on the Arctic shore.
Dogsledding or snowmobiling in the open tundra, possibly under an aurora-lit sky, is an experience to which no words can do justice.
It borders on surrealism and fantasy and should be experienced by everyone who can afford it, and of course, ‘brave’ the cold.
7
The statement that Svalbard is the world's northernmost permanently populated place is wrong
That distinction belongs to Alert, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada at 82°28' N it is a permanently inhabited Canadian Forces Base. and while lit certainly lacks the facilities of Svalbard it is habited year round and is geographically north of Svalbard
5
@Ted Kennedy Alert is not a civilian population, and while ‘permanently inhabited’, has no ‘permanent inhabitants’ - residents rotate in and out.
3
In his new book, "Creative (Climate) Communications: Productive Pathways for Science, Policy and Society," academic and climate activist Max Boykoff from the University of Colorado Boulder explores, among many topics, why such tactics as "flight shaming" are not, and never going to be, effective ways to communicate the seriousness of climate change.
I of course have no way of knowing for sure, but my guess is that since the naysayers to this fascinating travel piece live in the United States, they are by definition among the world's most intensive carbon users. They probably drive, may eat meat or use air travel, and it's a fair bet that most have children.
It seems to me that pieces like this give readers like me, who will never go to Svalbard, an opportunity to experience through words and photos one of the planet's myriad fascinating landscapes. For that, I'm grateful.
Oh, and thanks to Philip Pullman, without whom I would never even have known that Svalbard existed.
4
I see this was posted 30Dec19, but you refer to New Year's Day and I am reading this on 04Jan20. When was this written?
1
A couple days ago, I looked up RT airfare from Saint Louis and hotels.
Norsk second gen, it is most likely the place I want to go next winter.
if i live that long...
1
Next year! Thanks.
That last paragraph gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. It was beautifully written. I hope in my lifetime I am able to travel to somewhere like this. Reading about it helps me go there in my imagination, so thank you.
12
People "obsessed with climate change" are flying less or not at all.
4
@steven I also wondered how they generate power, dispose of waste, how often planes fly in to deliver food and other luxuries to the hotels, etc., all for people concerned with climate change or checking off their bucket lists. I'm sure it's absolutely gorgeous, but hardly without an environmental cost.
2
Dear Kelly,
Thank you for your great story.
We too have been to Svalbard, a couple of years ago my wife signed us up for the XC Ski Marathon which is early May. The highlight for me was the "cruise" in the fjords from Longyearbyen to Pyramiden. Initially I was surprised and somewhat disappointed by the lack of pristine wilderness because of the many "huts" along the shorelines. After reading a brief history of Svalbard, the cruise illustrated 300plus years of mans exploitation of the natural environment. Whale oil, fur trapping, coal / gypsum mining. Sad lesson, still the trip proved to be my favourite vacation ever. Your story captures those feelings nicely.
5
I visited Longyearbyen and Svalbard back in the 80's, fortunately during high summer. It was a fascinating and slightly scary place (due to all the polar bear warnings). We were not allowed to go anywhere without a rifle toting local to protect us. I enjoyed our day immensely but was relieved to get back on the cruise ship and sail south.
2
Svalbard sounds like an amazing, otherworldly place. Thanks to the author for transporting me there, if only briefly.
These travel articles about fragile, exotic destinations always feel wrong though, since jumping on a plane and going there is probably the single largest contribution any one person can make towards destroying them.
Instead of glossy marketing for far-flung vacations, I'd appreciate a more responsible approach from future NYT Travel pieces: How can concerned travelers help to preserve incredible places? Are some locations best enjoyed from home rather than in person?
31
What a wonderful adventure!
2
The inevitable comments that criticize the NYT for running this article at all or for running it without a warning that travel to Svalbard is wasteful and harmful to the planet are a perfect example of the wrong strategy to address climate change.
If the message is that we all need to give up everything we enjoy in order to avoid a climate change disaster, most people will chose the short term benefit and enjoy life without worrying too much about what will happen over the next few decades. The right message is that we have to implement solutions that preserve our current standard of living while preserving the planet.
We know how to do a lot of this. An electrical power grid with no carbon footprint is within the reach of current technology; it could use a combination of wind, solar, hydro and nuclear. Carbon-free electrical power could power electric cars, buses and trucks. These are just examples, but by themselves could have a massive impact on greenhouse gasses without compromising our standard of living.
17
@Joel "Compromising our standard of living" - why do we have to preserve it to the same extent? You could say that taking public transportation instead of a personal vehicle would be compromise - and this is assuming we build significant low-carbon infrastructure. Maybe we have to do both. I'm realizing that individually-wrapped granola bars may not be worth it, just as an example. But then, who sets this "standard" and is it worth it?
3
@Joel Well stated. Would also go nd it hard to imagine that the naysayers never fly to visit relatives, or go for family trips. Flying to Disneyland, or using up millions of gallons in water parks will do far more damage than a flight to a natural setting where most activities seemingly involve walking / trekking / sledding about the wilderness.
5
@Joel I have no intention of giving up everything I enjoy and neither should anyone else. I just think that knowledge is better than ignorance.
It's empowering to know that one's individual decisions matter. For example, I can eliminate a third of my yearly carbon emissions by replacing a trip to Europe with an (equally enjoyable) week in wine country or the Sierras.
Clean energy tech is hugely important, and we should absolutely do all the things you describe. It's not a silver bullet though - people will also just have to consume less. We should empower people to make conscientious choices rather than just waiting for someone else to solve the problem.
2
Well, I don't have a bucket list and this location, this bucket of ice, shall never be on any list of places to visit. We just returned from the Western Caribbean. The islands are lush, green, filled life and surrounded by beautiful, warm blue-green oceans also filled with life. On one island it was 96 degrees in the second week of December. We only stayed off the ship for about 2 hours and then we headed back just after a delicious treat of homemade ice cream. That's all the cold I care to experience.
As a kid I was raised in New York City and then we moved upstate to Glens Falls NY, the Adirondacks. The coldest it became in Glens Falls was about 32 below in the winter of 1958. I loved it then. Now, I'm 72 and while I miss the winter scapes of beautiful snow covered mountains, I truly don't miss the cold. I'm not headed for Svalbard or any other place in the Arctic. And when we visit Alaska it will be in July. I'll be dressed appropriately. Flannel is fine with me.
5
Just wondering why the NYT didn't publish my comment about this article.
Readers should know it's very easy and very affordable to fly from Oslo to Svalbard. There are direct, affordable flights (under $300 round trip) between both locations. And thanks to Norwegian Airlines, people in the United States can easily - and affordably - fly from the US to Oslo.
Visiting Svalbard does not have to be a once-in-a-lifetime extravagance. Everyone can afford to visit there.
3
@KR It is inexpensive if you plan to fly up there, stay in very basic accommodations, and basically do nothing. You really can't do much by yourself due to the omnipresent danger of polar bears, so you either have to be trained and licensed to carry firearms in Norway (ha!) or you have to hire a guide with a gun. Plus, as expected, food there is painfully expensive.
1
Too much kveching.
3
If nothing grows where were the mushrooms foraged from?
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@Bob Tonnor The article is grossly misleading. There is abundant plant life in Svalbard during the summer months, but they are mainly grasses. There are mushrooms too.
2
WOW!! Our little blue marble, our Earth, has some awesome beautiful intriguing places.
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Gorgeous piece. Thank you.
18
Thank you for sharing the beauty of a place I'll never experience in person.
At the right moment, also, since these days I've been reading "Arctic Dreams" by Barry Lopez. A deep and poetic exploration of the traditional cultures, animal life, and geology of the place. How could 35 pages on the muskox be so evocative and informative, that I'm sad when he moves on to seals? Highly recommended to anybody who would like to visit or has been to these icy realms.
20
@Marcy
One of the greatest nonfiction books I've ever read.
Having grown up with the eponymous family whose illustrious explorer ancestor named the Barendts Sea, I have been aware of Svalbard for many decades. So please don't patronise me by insisting that I have not. Another elitist NY Times travel piece intended only for those already squarely in the only American aristocracy--that of wealth--to really use and enjoy...
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@Tournachonadar
jump back
2
@Tournachonadar Touchy, are we? The article says only “Few people have heard of Svalbard and even fewer have seen it.“ Sounds like you are one of the “few”, which does not make the statement patronizing, just accurate.
Way to kill the Arctic by flying there.
The NYT travel section needs to get with the times and discuss climate change effects of elite travel. I’m tired of seeing the “California is burning” and “another drought” articles on a different page from the “this place is the new Belize” articles. Actions have consequences, and those who can afford travel need to recognize their contribution to the problem.
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@Melanie Wright Unless you are vegan, chances are that you your dietary CHOICES are doing much more harm to the planet than a single trip to the Arctic. Ever heard of stones and glass houses?
1
@Melanie Wright
while we talking about how much travel affects climate change and the environment maybe we could discuss the real elephant in the phone booth- population. The polar bears and the Arctic climate are in far more danger from the 7.8 billion humans on earth and the 330 million plus Americans going about there daily activities than a relatively few people flying planes to Svalbard, but we never talk about that either. Some issues just aren't PC. Nothing new there.
3
Wright is right.
We can stay home AND waste less food. There are plenty of low carbon ways to find pleasure.
The pleasure of passing along a functioning biosphere to future generations of humans and other organisms could be one major source of life satisfaction.
I don't like the northern lights much. They're creepy.
3
Actually, Ny Alesund is farther north than Longyearben and inhabited year round
Many of the people who visit Longyearben do so to attend UNIS - The University Centre in Svalbard. (https://www.unis.no/)
In the Spring and Summer, much of Svalbard is anything but an "arctic desert".
The first day that the Sun appears above the horizon is glorious and cause for a glass or two.
One should always remember that the great white bears are at the top of the food chain.
24
Nicely written and great photos, but as the editor of a weekly newspaper in Longyearbyen for the past 11 year I'm seeing a lot of incorrect "facts" that have been repeated so long they've become "common knowledge." (A previous comment I submitted with links to local sources was not OK'd, so they're omitted in this post).
• Perhaps most famous is the "more polar bears than people" myth. In reality people outnumber polar bear by a 10-1 ratio (about 2,700 people and 270 polar bears, according to an official census a few years ago). The 3,000 bears commonly cited are for the entire region, including part of Russia.
• "You can’t be born and you can’t be buried" is another common myth that is not quite true. Bodies cannot be buried in the cemetery, but people's ashes are still buried there and have been spread outdoors with the permission of the governor.
• The polar night and summer each last about three-and-a-half months, so we don't spend half in sunlight as half in darkness as the story suggests.
• As noted above, there are about 2,700 people in Svalbard,not 2,200, which is roughy the population of the town of Longyearbyen. Also the "northernmost settlement" is Ny-Ålesund at 79 degrees north here, not Longyearbyen (78 degrees).
• After Norway, the most residents are from Russia, Thailand, Sweden, Ukraine and the Philippines. Canada isn't and has never been near the top.
There's more, but these are some of the big common misperceptions.
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@Iceman
I'm always mystified as to why writers don't seem to realize how bright the moon on a snowy landscape can
be when they talk about the 'pitch black' northern winter.
9
A bucket list article with very little meaning for me reading it. Indulgent and privileged it reads for myself.
17
Been there, done that. Just go.
2
@Norm
Hey Norm. I can't go, because of a number of significant physical restrictions. But I enjoy reading and imagining. It's called "armchair travel" for a reason. I'm sure those who are able, and have the means, will follow your advice and be among the hordes of eager tourists who "just go."
3
I think it's disgusting that NYT Travel (among other sections) pieces never reflect the global climate crisis we are ALREADY experiencing. California is burning and so is Australia. Polar bears are in decline due to lack of ice. How can you be encouraging travel to this kind of place when going here clearly has a huge and unnecessary impact on the climate?
Why isn't this newspaper running segments on trips close to where most of its readership lives? And why not put a disclaimer in an article like this of "we are writing about it precisely so you don't travel there, so you can experience it without making a huge impact on the environment."
Come on NYT. Show some ethics.
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@Helene Jeeze, another attack on this article but with an "environmental" angle? It's a travel article in the travel section of the NYTimes, just like Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" was a travel novel. Should we dig up Steinbeck's bones and beat them with a stick for using X amount of gas when driving across our nation with a poodle? Do what's right environmentally (I do) but we need the NYTimes and we need good writing no matter the topic. Activism by finger-pointing is divisive and not fair.
3
@Helene. How about adding the carbon footprint for the round trip etc?
@Helene I liked the article and found it interesting instead of something provincial in the U.S.A. Does it mean I'm going to travel to this remote outpost? No, I won't go there. But the absolute last thing I want to read is another travel article about the U.S.: "Look honey, another Jack N' The Box restaurant, wow!"
3
"located 1,200 miles north of mainland Norway"?
It's about 500 miles from the northern coast of mainland Norway. 1,200 miles is from Oslo.
14
Lovely description of an fascinating place, but I'm confused. What year did this trip take place? The current time in Svalbard is 6:52 pm on December 30, 2019. https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/norway/longyearbyen. The article talks about waking up on New Years' Day.
5
We should also note Svalbard is probably the easiest place to emigrate in the world. You just need to show up. The rules are simple. No births, no deaths, no homelessness, and no unemployment. The last two are interrelated. Most long term housing is owned by your employer. Finding a place to rent is quite difficult. Ergo, you pretty much need to find a job before you get there. As a corollary, getting fired is essentially self-deportation. You're not staying on Svalbard if you lose your job.
Personally, I'll stick with the relatively more selective and less scenic McMurdo Station. You can get a job living in Antarctica serving french fries if you can stand the tedium. Unlike the Navy icebreakers, at least McMurdo has alcohol. On the upside, you are actually serving a scientific mission. By contrast, Svalbard has a very strange tradition of capitalist libertarianism. Granted, McMurdo has its own questionable origin.
Between the two though, I'll choose the southern ice in philosophical terms.
4
@Andy
Hmmm. I was wondering which place to move to. Thanks for the heads up!
20
I suspect that it's all the people who are trashing and hating on this article who are the reason the hotel mentioned has so many single rooms, (I had to follow the link in the article). I enjoyed this beautiful piece reading it to my wife in the car during an otherwise very dull drive. You took us there even though we will never be able to go ourselves. Thank you
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@James
"It's all the people who are trashing and hating on this article who are the reason" humanity may have some hope of survival, learning that it is abandoning extreme, irresponsible and unnecessary behaviors that can and might save us.
3
Loved this! I began reading, thinking I want to go there too! By the end, I was grateful to hear your vivid description and know I'd rather read about it then go there myself.
7
The author assumes all of Svalbard is covered in permafrost, prohibiting vegetation. About 10% of the land thaws in the summer and these areas have Arctic vegetation. It grows fast in the brief summertime and many of the small flowers are very beautiful. Also there is grass and low shrubs but no trees.
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@Arild Trælhaug There have been thawing problems and water at the seed bank due to permafrost melt.
7
@Arild Trælhaug, I was wondering about that since the article mentions local reindeer - there must be something for them to eat.
3
Thanks for the interesting photos. I’m surprised at how rare the experience of seeing the aurora borealis has apparently become. I’ve seen it twice, once in Massachusetts and once in southern Quebec near the St Lawrence. But both times were in summer and both were many years ago. I’ve also heard that the phenomenon occurs further south in the Western than in the Eastern hemisphere.
4
A story after my own heart. I would love to visit someday as there is something about cold winter weather that feeds my soul.
I had the pleasure of visiting my home town in central Wisconsin recently (the reason for the trip was not pleasure mind you), and after arriving to the house at 10:30, I proceeded to head out walking until 2:00 AM 0 degree weather. This was bittersweet as the family home will probably fall out of the family now taking away an easy excuse to visit in the heart of winter.
One last note. The author should read Gretel Ehrlich. Though I see she has more books now, I started with This Cold Heaven. She brings traveling in the arctic to life.
11
@j s
And, as mentioned by another commenter, Barry Lopez' "Arctic Dreams."
Those aurora are not limited to difficult destinations. I think it was 1958 when, as a kid, I lay on the pavement of a suburban NYC street with a sketch pad, crayons and a compass picturing them for an International Geophysical Year program. Even 15 miles from Manhattan, the solar cycle had provided a bright display. The sketches were sent to Cornell, for some database. At least two of our gang continued on in science, and a quarter century later, I was igniting colored plasma streams in a vacuum chamber to make semiconductor chips. In fact, the very imagers that now allow movies of the aurora. And now, I meet up with a local astronomy club beneath mostly opaque skies and hear the astonishing, transformational news of the universe.
10
I lived for a few years in my early twenties in Northern Alaska. It was a formative time for me. I came away from the experience in awe of everything that is Arctic - the Northern Lights, the Midnight sun, the frozen sea ice, hot springs, the animals and flora of the tundra in all seasons and especially the Inuit cultures who have lived, in this region for ages, in delicate balance with the earth and other beings.
I found the tundra, far from rootless as this writer describes, as alive in the summer: with lichen and berries and willow bushes and yes roots and the many animals: the reindeer and moose and brown and polar bears and Arctic fox and ptarmigan and snowshoe hares and many migrating birds.
Ms. McMasters writes in this article that the tundra is "rootless" and "desolate" and in the "middle of nowhere". This is the outsider's perspective. Anyone who has spent some time in the Arctic, and especially those who live there, recognize that the Arctic is as much the center of life as anywhere. Indeed, with this climate crisis bearing down on us, the preservation of the precious Arctic is of increased importance.
I would like to see an article about Svalbard written by a local. I imagine the point of view would be much different.
68
I very much enjoyed this article. At the Brooklyn Public Library book sale last October, I found a field guide to the birds and animals of Svalbard for a dollar. It's now one of my favourite field guides. I've heard of Svalbard as a birding mecca, but I'd love to see the hooded seal with the inflatable nose!
11
It is always dispiriting to read of wild places that have been developed to entertain tourists. But, I guess this place is not that wild because it was a coal mining camp since the 1890s, long before the tourist trade. I do not like the idea of killing polar bears to protect tourists.
14
@Burton: You said you "do not like the idea of killing polar bears to protect tourists."
No where did the article mention that polar bears are, were, or would be killed... to protect tourists.
More than likely the rifles or guns kept by the tourist-guides are there to first scare away polar bears, and only if needed to injure them. Only in the direst of circumstances would a human's life be given precedence over a polar bear's life. A polar bear attacking a human would do so either because they are protecting their young or themselves, or if they are "deranged" (disease-stricken).
It is important to know, polar bears do not hunt or eat humans. So they would rarely if ever attack a person out of hunger. If a bear is attacking a human, it will most likely be to protect their young, or to scare away the human(s) after they've done something the bear perceived as a threat.
This is also true of most animals - they fear humans because our body type/shape/behavior is that of a predator. All predators (carnivorous hunters) have two eyes up-front on their skull -- like snakes, wolves, bears, cats/felines, and humans/apes. Non-predators have eyes on the sides of their heads.
4
@Incredulous of 45
It's already happened. In 2018 a guard from a cruise ship visiting Svalbard was attacked by a polar bear. The bear was shot dead. In 2011 a starving polar bear attacked some students visiting Svalbard, killing one and injuring others. It too was shot dead. The planet is overrun with humans, putting every other species is in danger. As David Attenborough said- humans are a plague on earth. This was a fun, adventerous story, but make no mistake about it, like every other natural area on earth, it is an endangered place.
I enjoyed the piece. I was in Svalbard in October 2009, taping an episode of Life After People, the History Channel series. I've never understood the ecotourism issue there. Svalbard is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has never had much pack ice. Thus, life has not changed much (if at all) for the polar bears... it may eventually, but that particular ecosystem may actually cool as the Gulf Stream shifts due to global climate change. Tourists would do well to study how the place is governed. For 100 years (since the Svalbard treaty of 1920) Norway has run the place as a world trust. Anyone from any nation can come and do "peaceful" business there (historically, the business was coal mining). The Svalbard treaty was the model for how Antarctica is governed. But what is "peaceful?" Longyearbyen had terrific fiber-optic broadband by 2009, courtesy of the US Navy, which laid cable across from the Norwegian mainland. Microphones attached to the undersea cable monitor passage of Russian submarines. The Russians have a multi-acre longwave radio antenna at their big (inactive now) coal mine, to communicate with their subs!
15
I know someone who lives there full time and has for 10 years. And he groans each time someone makes the false statement that there are more polar bears than people in Svalbard. There are about 10 times as many people. The true figures should be easy to find if you’d like to update the article.
20
@C Ferguson That would be me…I posted a comment about a number of such errors in this article, but for some reason they didn't publish it. Anyhow, here's a link to the polar bear census if they publish this reply.
https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2660/6078
5
@Iceman Update: My full comment, minus links to my newspaper and other local sources, is now posted further down.
Well, you can always watch "Fortitude" on Amazon Prime: a close second visually, with a good mystery thrown in. No hot dogs.
9
@george eliot Yes, loved "Fortitude"; it started me on an exploration of Scandic series--highly recommend "Occupied", set in Norway.
4
Of course, Ms. McMasters and her partner will inevitably be slammed by some as "rico-tourists" - or whatever similar slander one chooses. Still, it is a very well-written piece about a fascinating place about which I knew nothing. This is one reason I subscribe to the Times. Thank you.
18
Hot dogs, the official food of Norway!
There is no place like Norway. Where besides Norway can you hop on the metro in the city center of the capital with your dog and your skis or mountain bike, ride it into the foothills, and ski or bike right off the platform into the mountains? The most difficult bit is deciding which of the thousands of km of trails to take and where to stop for a waffle.
6
Beautiful writing--really enjoyed your travelogue!
4
Ptarmigan feathers on your dinner plate? Gross. Beautiful piece, thank you.
4
« it is poised to be the next extreme vacation destination for tourists obsessed with climate change, wilderness and chasing the Northern Lights.»
Yes! The ideal destination for helping to speed up the global warming, and enjoying the effect in real time! Congratulations...
20
@Haakon S There is no difference between travel to the Arctic vs. travel anywhere else in terms of carbon footprint. But Arctic tourism at least teaches people, firsthand, about the effects of global warming, the fragility of the Arctic and the importance of the area as a breeding ground for many migratory species.
1
Sounds like a wonderful experience. Yet given the current dire climate change situation, one might want to think about the effect of our jetting around and visiting exotic places to see natural wonder is adding to the decline and disappearance of the natural world.
12
Agreed BB, however our home state is utterly dependent on those wishing to jet around and visit exotic places. How else would one be able to simultaneously live in Hawai’i and NYC? The problem of travel related carbon emissions must be addressed, but is also extremely complicated.
5
I once saw the aurora lights from a plane traveling the polar route to Russia. The pilot announced it, and of course most of us woke up because earlier, we were told that we might see them at some point. He said he got permission to fly the plane so passengers on both sides could see them, and he did. They were breathtaking at that altitude. So colorful, eerie - like giant luminous theater curtains swaying slowly, constantly changing. I will never forget it.
61
Interesting piece on an area I've always wanted to visit. Too bad it comes across as just another bucket list check mark, instead of capturing Longyearbyen's unique place in the world. Though it is the northernmost populated town it is NOT the northernmost populated place. Alert in Canada, 142 miles farther north, is the world's northernmost populated settlement. Perhaps you'd see the Northern Lights there.
13
I think Svalbard is the northernmost spot with a permanent civilian population.
1
@Paul Alert is literally a weather station with a handful of scientists. Hardly a "settlement."
My son has visited Svarbard a few times with his friends and describes it as a magical place.
9
Hot dogs, the official food of Norway!
There is no place like Norway. Where besides Norway can you hop on the metro in the city center of the capital with your dog and your skis or mountain bike, ride it into the foothills, and ski or bike right off the platform into the mountains? The most difficult bit is deciding which of the thousands of km of trails to take and where to stop for a waffle.
15
I had hoped you would discuss your surely huge carbon footprint, climate change being mentioned early on.
23
Your trip sounds beautiful. Now I want to go to Svalbard, but I might pick summer, you were very brave to go in the winter. And the northern lights is something I had dreamt of seeing for a long time.
11
@Crow If you go in the summer you will not see the aurora borealis. During the summer the sun never sets so it isn't dark enough to see the glow of the northern lights. Sorry.
7
@Crow
We were there in the summer. Took a trip with a snow breaker for 10 days, and travelled as north as possible.
A wonderful experience.
5
@Bob Also, the aurora belt is much further south and the prime view areas are in northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and southern Greenland.
"I’d reserved space on an excursion called “Sauna Meal & Aurora Borealis,” and soon, after driving in a cube van to an isolated campsite on the tundra, we were helping our guide Misha stretch a canvas cover across the crisscrossed spines of a tent frame over a portable sauna. Misha made hot dogs over an open fire in a steel caldron on the ice while we waited for the sauna to heat up"
When I was stationed in Keflavik, Iceland, the Blue Lagoon was only 7 miles away. It was almost eerie with snow all around on the black rocks and steam coming up from the "pool." They offered massages in the heated water and had a wonderful restaurant on premise for after sauna dining. Good stuff. Also, one of the more popular fast foods there were lamb dogs, which I seem to recall were topped with a couple of different sauces and French fried onions. They were delicious, especially after a night in town closing down the local bars. Still, I'm quite happy here in the warmth of Texas. :-)
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@Independent Observer Loved it so much I have been there three times. The scenery is as spare as it is vivid. The hot dogs, which you can also get in downtown Reykjavik by the water, are worth the price of the plane ticket. The people aren't terribly friendly, but the Blue Lagoon experience makes up for it.
I’ll probably never see those lights the way you did or have those chilling and thrilling adventures and experiences . Thank you, Kelly, for taking me along with you through your wonderful words.
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I went to Tromso over Christmas last year with my daughter and her family. It's above the arctic circle but being surrounded by water not nearly as cold. Beautiful in a different way. Sled dogs are amazing.
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@Frank Travaline My wife and I went to Tromso 3 years ago in mid-December. We loved it, and as you noted, because of the Gulf Steam it was colder in Pittsburgh than in Tromso while we were there. Not enough snow to do a sled dog ride, but we did do a northern lights tour. My next goal is Svalbard.
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Thanks for that. The Aurora is truly an emotional experience. Great story. Happy New year!
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What a fun story. I've dreamed of Svalbard and a chance to see the most charismatic victims of climate change, polar bears. I'm surprised the author didn't see any. I've read of the seed storage place too. It looks like the entrance to a Bond villain lair. As a lover of: snow, cold, ice, dark, winter, animals and sparsely populated places svalbard sounds even more inviting than I imagined. As I trudge around the icy neighborhood with the dog this morning I'll imagine being on our way to a sauna and sausages. Thanks.
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@Al
Fairbanks does not have polar bears (you have to travel to Kaktovik on Alaska's north coast to reliably see them), but it is an affordable destination with direct flights from Seattle several times a day. A great place to see the aurora ! And an amazing hot springs resort -- Chena Hot Springs -- just an hour's drive from town. You can tour the geothermal plant, enjoy salads grown year-round in the Hot Springs greenhouse, and drink an appletini in the Ice Museum, which stays frozen year round (summers can be hot in Interior Alaska) thanks to hot water run through an ammonia heat exchanger. Check it out !
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@Al Seeing a polar bear is like winning the lottery and some people have lived in Longyearbyen for years without ever seeing one.
Reindeer walk around town all year round though and they fascinate all of us with their short legs and chubby looks.
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@Andy Irene
Sounds fun. I skied out the front door yesterday. Saw a fox and some elk and I'd like to think, some wolf tracks. Not polar bear or reindeer but it will have to do until I can get further north.
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I have been to Trondheim in Norway and Denali in Alaska, both in June. There is something perverse in a winter visit.
Far north destinations empty out after the summer. A skeleton crew is left behind. And that crew has to deal with deep darkness. Depression and substance abuse are problems. Many who stay on work in hospitality for winter visitors. They are often working class and lack the money to make their lives more bearable. And, as for climate change, there is next to nothing to see. Climate change is mostly about summer melting. Everything is frozen in the depths of winter.
Northern lights are mostly the thing. They're not enough for me. I'm not a 24-hour nighttime person.
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@michjas Rest assured that there is no such thing as a skeleton crew in Longyearbyen. All 2500 of us live here all year round and substance abuse/narcotics is a non existing problem. Almost 300 children go to school every day and we offer high ranking studies in the university. All year long.
In other words there are no people «that stay on» working for minimum wages just to serve visitors. Longyearbyen is a small community offering benchmark services to both visitors and residents.
As for climate changes they can be seen also in the winter: the glaciers have shrunk and cracked with deep crevasses making it harder to drive a snowmobile from a to b, winters are getting warmer and we experience temperatures above zero in january and february (not a problem 20 years ago), the fjords don’t freeze up and tundra is covered in ice not snow making it hard for the reindeer to find food.
As for the dark season Svalbard is not only the best time a year if you are a vampire it is also silence, starry skies without light pollution and music festivals.
Come visit us and be amazed.
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@Andy The head of the Chamber of Commerce attests to the fact that Svalbard is an island paradise with no problems. No depression. No alcoholism. And everybody shares the considerable wealth.
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@michjas Tell that to the inhabitants of Tromso, which rocks during the winter. People just get out and do stuff.
My favorite part is your last experience, after your sauna. Thank you - it must have been incredible.
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What a beautiful piece. We head to Tromso, Norway in a few weeks, our third visit. It is magical.
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This sounds like a place better left to scientists and polar bears, not bored wealthy people who want to check it off their "bucket lists."
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@JJ agree
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@JJ, fellow Connecticuter, yes, it is very expensive to visit but if you plan ahead and network your way there, the average person can and should try to see the Auroras at least once in a lifetime. It's a life-changing/memorable experience that is a reminder there are a few, serene places left (but not many) in the world. If you airbnb in Tromso and do your homework, you can avoid expensive restaurants, rent a cheap car, and self-navigate to a number of dark locations. The Norwegians are super friendly and helpful to boot.
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I’m sure the lights are lovely and the solitude sublime, but for me two words come to mind - flygscam and weltschmerz.
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A splashy long piece about a trip for the one percent. More annoying than edifying but glad the new couple had a good time.
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@Lyn
Agreed!
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@Lyn
Just to remind you, people like you and I are most probably in the top 2% wealth-wise if we include all people in this world. I’ll never be a 1%- er in the USA though. Important to remember that even the lower middle class in the US is way up in the 90s when considering the worlds inhabitants.
I think it’s cool the author and her friend picked somewhere adventurous to go for vacation. On the other hand, we all need to travel less and maybe just read about some of these far away places that we few lucky people can afford to visit.
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@Lyn My wife and I are nowhere near the 1%, but we went to Tromso Norway (200 miles above the Arctic Circle) three years ago and loved it. We were just a short flight from Svalbard, but didn't have enough time to go there. Maybe next time.
Not every place that is remote is reserved for the 1%.
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As someone who has unbridled passion and respect for the Arctic, I am truly disappointed in the lack of respect and depth you seem to have of your Svalbard experience. Having been to to Svalbard and the Arctic in many countries around the globe, you fail to capture or even seriously understand the incredible value, beauty, uniqueness and importance this precious place has on our earth. I am not a scientist, simply a traveler who seeks to grow and learn about myself and this world with respect. The Arctic should not be the next hot bucket list destination that one can say “yeah I have been aka aren’t I cool?” NYT, you can and should do better
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@Karen Targove
What a ridiculous post. These people captured the beauty and thrilling experience in the Arctic and their descriptions of being in the arctic tundra was captured in this piece. I was inspired to perhaps go there. And they captured the magnificence of this desolate destination.
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@Karen Targove
Geez. Two people went to a magical place and had a winter adventure. They burned hydrocarbons to get there, just like you did. Want to truly respect and help the arctic (and everywhere else)? Don't have any kids, stay home, don't live the typical American lifestyle and support family planning everywhere. In the meantime this was a fun story in the midst of another grim year of deterioration of the planet and the human condition and some of us liked it if for nothing else than taking a vicarious break.
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@Karen Targove This was definitely an outsider's perspective, a tourist's perspective written for other prospective tourists, and not much more.
The tundra might seem desolate to this writer, especially since she visited in the winter, but it is not. It is a living ecosystem of plants and animals. In my opinion, that didn't come across in this article and was disappointing for me.
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Thank you for this truly transporting piece…
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