The expedition
In March 2027, Life Expeditions will attempt to cross Spitsbergen in full, from its southern tip to its northernmost point: nearly 600 kilometres to cover in 35 days.
Our team will move through glaciers, mountains and fjords, carrying everything needed to live and travel unsupported. Cold, storms and the presence of polar bears will be among the realities we face every day.
The line taking shape before your eyes is the path we hope to follow. As it advances north, it will reveal an immense, shifting island, and the challenges that await us.
1. Leaving Longyearbyen
The team will leave Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard, by snowmobile toward the south of Spitsbergen. They will be dropped off at the entrance to the national park.
2. Ski start
The snowmobiles will stop here. They will be unable to go further. We will still have 120 kilometres to cover to reach the southern tip of Spitsbergen, known as Sorsenet, which will mark the true start of the traverse.
It will be a strange feeling: our crossing is meant to take us to the northern tip, yet we will begin by moving farther away from it. Behind us, the snowmobiles will turn back, carrying with them our last link to the civilised world. Ahead, only the Arctic expanse will remain.
3. Southern tip
The southern tip will be reached. From there the unsupported ski traverse will turn north, roughly 600 km across one of the most isolated environments on Earth.
4. Heart of the island
We will then enter the heart of the island. The terrain will close in around us: valleys will give way to mountains, glaciers and technical passages. Then we will reach the high plateaus, which look like enormous white dunes.
Here, every detour will be dictated by the land. Crevasses, slopes and weather will slow our progress and force us to stay constantly alert. But for the first time since the start of the expedition, every kilometre covered will truly bring us closer to the northern tip.
The south will then lie far behind us.
5. Northern tip
The ski crossing will be complete. After more than 30 days of full autonomy in this extreme environment, the team will wait for the snowmobiles to appear in the distance and come pick them up.
6. Extraction to Longyearbyen
A long snowmobile ride will wait for the team to finish the expedition. A long road back to Longyearbyen, back to civilisation. After a month in the field, a shower will be well deserved!
