Walking Tours over Glaciers.

2 Exiting trips during the 'Living On Frozen Water' expedition.
First trip: July 9 - 27, Second trip: July 24 - August 1 2011

During the last 2 weeks of July and the first week of August the lower parts of the glaciers are mostly free of snow. With our pulks (sledges) behind us we walk over the blue ice glaciers. These glaciers are not steep and the walking is relative easy. This kind of walking is the best thing to do, when you go out on on a long trip in Spitsbergen. It is much easier to walk with the heavy luggage in a sledge (pulk), instead of carrying everything in your backpack.
     Click here to see maps of these 2 trips.

Approaching Hoglandlake with its big iceblocks in the lake and on the ground.
The first trip is 19 days long and will take place around the Mittag Leffler Glacier. The second trip is 9 days long and will take place around the Nordenskiold glacier. It is possible to do both trips, then it will be a 26 days trip. In these area's you can enjoy magnificent views of colourful mountains.
These 2 trips take place in combination with the White Water Kayak & Riverboard trips. (see the 2011 Summertrips page). A second guide will be guiding this trip.
The Nordenskiold and Mittag-Leffler Glaciers are very big and wide glaciers. We will see and cross (at suitable places) many glacierrivers. These rivers are meltrivers and streaming over the glaciers through ice-channels.
At some places these rivers are big and wide enough (and save) to descend with a kayak/riverboard. With some luck (and good planning) we can see some kayakers from the other trip being busy with this. This will give awesome very special views!!

Beautiful campsite at a glacierriver.
Visit also these pages: Winter- & Summertrips from Fjelltours on Spitsbergen ; here you will find much more important background information about these trips.

Take also a look at this page: Walking & skiing with a pulk (sledge) over the Spitsbergen glaciers.

When you click on the "Small Video's" button (on the left side), you can also see many small picture-video's of walking on the glaciers on Spitsbergen.

The 19 days trip.
We will walk almost every day with our pulk behind us to another camp. Sometimes we will make a daytrip. The most of our campsites will be on the glacier or really close to the glacier. We will also camp two nights at the glacierfront of the Mittag-Leffler glacier. This is on the Northern side of Spitsbergen. From this camp, located on a small hill, you have a perfect view over Weide-fjorden and over the wide and big glacierfront. From time to time you hear and see ice breaking of the glacier and falling in the fjord. The power of nature!!
The area around Alands Lake with the glacier at one side and its sandy dessert at the other side is also a special place to camp. The area around Hogland Lake with its big iceblocks standing on the ground in the lake and beside the lake is a quarantee for some very amazing views. The multi coloured mountain Tricollar Fjellet with its many steep mountainridges makes the view over Hogland lake perfect. We will camp 2 nights at Hoglandlake and explore the area around Hoglandlake.
We will also try (weather permitted) to camp one night on the mountainridge Tarantellen (or on a lower hill). This mountainridge (700 meters above sealevel) is the base from where the special 'spider' Mountain Tarentellen is climbing to the sky. From here the view over the Mittag-Leffler glaciers towards Weide fjorden is brilliant! Also being so close to Mountain Tarantellen is very special.
The basecamp of the "Living On Frozen Water" expedition is close to mountain Tarantellen. With some luck some of the igloo's of this basecamp are still standing. This is one of our last campplaces before we go back to Longyearbyen.

View of Tarantellen, the rock formation with the 2 big holes, picture taken at the mountainridge at 700 meters a.s.l.
Here a brief description of the programme for the 19 days trip (programme structure might change):

First day: July 9th, Arrival with plane at Longyearbyen.
Packing the equipment in Longyearbyen.
Boat trip to the start of this trip and Walking up the Ragner/Ebba valley.
Walking up the Ragner/Ebba glacier.
Walking/skiing on the Ragner/Ebba and Mittag Leffler glacier.
Walking down the Mittag Leffler glacier to the fjord (Weide fjord)
Sightseeing around the fjord and the glacier.
Walking up the Mittag Leffler glacier, campsite on the glacier at Alands Lake.
Walking up the Mittag Leffler glacier, campsite on the glacier at Hogland Lake.
Sight seeing around Hogland Lake.
Walking up the Mittag Leffler glacier towards the "Living On Frozen Water" basecamp.
Walking up the mountainridge Tarantellen and enjoy the magnificent overview.
Walking/skiing up the Mittag Leffler glacier to the top of Ebba glacier.
Walking down the Ebba glacier.
Spare day.
Spare day.
Walking down the Ebba valley, pick-up by a boat which will bring the participants back to Longyearbyen.
Sight seeing in Longyearbyen.
Last day: August 1st, Departure with the plane from Longyearbyen.
Spare day: These days are mostly used as bad weather day. Due to bad weather it might happen that we have to wait 1 or more days inside our tents.
The whole programme is very flexible and the walking/ski distance every day is not long. The total walking/skiing distance is about 80 km.

Getting the sledges over a small glacierriver.
The 9 days trip.
From the start we walk up the Ebba valley and glacier.The view in this small and steep valley, which is surrounded by high mountains is great. After 2 days we camp close at the mountain Bastionfjellet with a wide view over the big Mittag Leffler glacier. If the weather is good we can scramble up the high mountain Flemingfjellet and enjoy a magnificent 360 degree view. The next days we are walking on the big Nordenskiold glacier with nice views down to the fjord. We walk around the mountain Terrierfjellet, which is situated in the middle of the big Nordenskiold glacier.
During this trip we don't have to use ski's. We will have to cross some glacierrivers with a ladder, see the picture. Its amazing to see these rivers streaming on the glaciers. On the last day we can enjoy a brilliant view of the Nordenskiold glacier front which ends in the fjord.

Here a brief description of the programme for the 9 days trip (programme structure might change):

First day: July 24th, Arrival with plane at Longyearbyen.
Boat trip to the start of this trip and walk up the Ebba valley and the first part of the glacier.
Walking up the Ebba glacier towards Bastionfjellet.
Walking to the col between the Ebba glacier and the Nordenskiold glacier.
Scramble up the mountain Flemingfjellet and/or Mc Cabelfjellet.
Walking on the Nordenskiold glacier.
Spare day.
Walking down the first part of the Nordenskiold glacier.
Last day: Walking down the last part of the Nordenskiold glacier, pick-up by a boat which will bring the participants back to Longyearbyen, in the evening departure with the plane from Longyearbyen.
*Spare day: These days are mostly used as bad weather day. Due to bad weather it might happen that we have to wait 1 or more days inside our tents.
The whole programme is very flexible and the walking distance every day is not long. The total walking distance is about 40 km.

Walking up the Nordenskioldglacier with the sledges.

  Startingdate 2011:
  july 9th (19 days trip)

  july 24th (9 days trip)

The price of the 19-days Walking Tour over Glaciers is € 1813,- p.p. Travelcode: SB11LWT
The price of the 9-days Walking Tour over Glaciers is € 965,- p.p. Travelcode: SB11SWT

  In the 19 days tour price is included:
4 overnights in Longyearbyen in chambers with more people (2 overnights at the start and 2 at the end),
14 overnights in 2-3 persons wintertents.

  In the 9 days tour price is included:
1 overnight in Longyearbyen in chambers with more people (1 overnight at the start),
7 overnights in 2-3 persons wintertents.

  In both tour prices are included:

A travel insurance which also covers all the cost of an emergency rescue if necessary,
during our 17-days fieldtrip on Spitsbergen.
This insurance is an obligation when you go out on a long fieldtrip in Spitsbergen.
The use of a 2-3 persons wintertent with an isolated foil for under the inner tent.
The use of a sledge with pullingframe and harnass.
The use of cooking equipment to make hot water, a petrol stove with all the fuel.
The use of a snowshovel.
Professional guide, the guide will take care that the programme (as mentioned here above) will be done safe. The guide carry all the necessarry and obligated equipment, which is needed to make a multi day backcountry glacier trip on Spitsbergen.
Transport with a boat to the start of the trip and the pick up with a boat at the end of the trip.
The participants will receive information and instructions about the necessary clothes (detailed packing list),
about camping on Spitsbergen and about the safety aspects on Spitsbergen (Polarbear protection).
  Not included:

meals: It is possible to cook and have meals together durings the overnights in Longyearbyen. The participants will receive information which food (and how much) is handy to use during camping on Spitsbergen
Cross country ski's for back country skiing (no randonnee ski's), the skins.
We will use these ski's only 2 days and only during the 19 days trip. It is possible to hire these equipment by Fjell Tours. The participants will receive information about this. For the summertrips we are using the ski's in very easy terrain. We will use a fixation on our ski's that we can use our normal mountain walking shoes when we use the ski's. This will save us the use (and transportation weight) of another pair of boots.
The flight to and from Spitsbergen.
Transport from/towards the airport to/from our overnight stay in Longyearbyen (± € 5,- one way).

  The amount of Participants: min. 4, max. 8

The participants can hire specific equipment/clothes (like ski's, downjacket, extra sleepingbag, extra matrass, crampons etc.) by Fjell Tours,(only if booking is made before September 1st 2010), see for this:
Winter- & Summertrips from Fjelltours on Spitsbergen

To join this trip the participant must have:

Mountain walking experience in rough terrain, outside the track.

For the 19 days trip: Some cross country ski experience, the skiing what we will do is very easy.
Camping experience in rough terrain.

a Good condition, although the walking distance is not long, this is a long trip with many fielddays (2 weeks)!!
Good experience with walking with 2 walking sticks, you need those sticks on Spitsbergen.

Patience, participants must be aware that it might happen that we have to wait 1 or more days inside the tents
due to bad weather or other circumstances.

Flexibility, The plan for the day can change rapidly, or the daily schedule is changing.
It might happen that we walk during the night.
This makes no difference on Spitsbergen, There is no darkness in this time of the year.

The guide knows how and where to walk/ski save on these glaciers. Sometimes we can walk easily over the ice, sometimes it takes extra time if we have to cross wet area's on the glaciers.

To join this trip and to sign in, please send an email to: info@FjellTours.nl
Also for further questions about this trip, please send an email

     Back to Summertrips 2011.

Last update on June 10th 2010