Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Spitsbergen Tours
ADVENTURE TOUR
( 79 02 10 68;
www.terrapolaris.com
)
The owner of Spitsbergen Tours, Andreas Umbreit, is one of the longest-standing operat-
ors on the archipelago.
Svalbard Husky
DOG-SLEDDING
( 98 40 40 89, 98 87 16 21;
www.svalbardhusky.no
; 4hr trips Nkr1350)
Year-round dog-sledding.
Svalbard Villmarkssenter
DOG-SLEDDING
( 79 02 17 00;
www.svalbardvillmarkssenter.no
; 3hr trips Nkr980; 10am & 2pm)
Experts in dog mushing, whether by sledge over the snow or on wheels during summer.
Longyearbyen
Pop 2100
Svalbard's only town of any size, Longyearbyen enjoys a superb backdrop including two
glacier tongues, Longyearbreen and Lars Hjertabreen. The town itself is fringed by aban-
doned mining detritus and the waterfront is anything but beautiful, with shipping contain-
ers and industrial buildings. The further you head up the valley towards the glaciers, the
more you'll appreciate being here. Even so, Longyearbyen is a place to base yourself for
trips out into the wilderness rather than somewhere to linger for its own sake.
History
Although whalers had been present here in previous centuries, the town of Longyearbyen
was founded in the early 20th century as a base for Svalbard's coal-mining activities; the
town's gritty coal-mining roots still show through, commemorated in the statue of a
grizzled miner and his pick near the Lompensenteret. For decades, Store Norsk, owner of
the pits, possessed the communal mess, company shop, transport in and out, and almost
the miners' souls. Then in 1976 the Norwegian state stepped in to bail the company out
