Polar Bear

It is mainly colder in this tent now because the air volume inside the tent has increased, but the space inside makes living inside more enjoyable. And no wind in the tent, winds makes you cold................

@Polar Bear.

Really a creative idea for winter-camping, I liked this

Have you tried out the solution i bad weather/wind?

If you stay long enough on Svalbard you get all the weather you want or not want . Yes, I have used it in bad weather. The ends of the tentpoles are about 20 cm from the hole (where the innertent drops in. The same counts for the snowflaps, which give most of the stability for this wintertent.

After many months camping on Svallbards and waiting in a small tent for better weather, this crazy idea got into my mind: Make the inner tent deeper to create more space. the outer tent stays the same to prevent getting to much wind.

So last year I enlarge the innertent 60cm, using glue and tape to connect the bigger innertent together.

Results: It works, a lot of space more. I used it last winter on Svalbard The weight of the tent is not increasing too much.. You need to have a tent which has a big space between the inner and outer tent, just to be sure that the tentpoles don't fall in the gap and that the snow on the snowflaps on the outertent will stay there.

When it is a nice day and you don't want/need to dig down just use the tent as normal, the extra innertentvolume is laying down and give no problems.

Look at the last picture: My jacket and touser is hanging on the top of the innertent and won't touch my sleeping bag.

Believe it or not: In Longyearbyen there is 1 Supermarket and 6-8 outdoorshops to buy everything to keep you warm.

If you choose to camp on Svalbard during the dark months the biggest challenge is to keep your clothes/equipment dry.

Maybe better to go one week earlier: fullmoon on december 17th.

Some nice pictures from last Friday night, less snow, but that has changed since Sunday night..........

When you wanna camp at the highest point on Galdhopiggen you won't find enough snow to build a snowwall around your tent, also the place is to small for a snowwall. On top of Glittertind you will find enough snow and lot of space.

Allthought I camped on many peaks, I will not go and try it in bad weather from the start.

I camped on top Galdhopiggen some years ago in march/april, with almost no wind (I checked the weatherforecast before). Nice sunset and sunrise.(first 2 pictures)

But if you are looking for a good "testing your tent" place try Porten between Galdhopiggen and Vestpiggen. The next night I camped there with upcoming bad weather. (last picture, big snowwall around the tent). Very heavy turning winds coming up from the Storjuvglacier, a lifetime experience!!!!

Anyone knows who manufactured these skiboots?

I used these skiboots on Svalbard, the shoes need to be repaired and I want to use the same material. It looks like these skiboots are hand made, no manufacture signs on the shoes.

All the outdoorshops in Svallbard don't know these shoes, Also the shoemaker in Lillehammer has never seen these boots. But everyone says: many people would like to have such a skiboot.

These skiboots are very comfortable and warm, the inner- and outerboots are made of isolation materials. These skiboots are not stiff, but for ski-touring they are very good.

Maybe someone knows .........................

Hi,

I am using many Vaude tents. Normally the Vaude tents are good. But the Campo is not a 4 season tent. It's very easy to pitch the Campo, The third pole will give more space inside and will give the tent a tight look. The rain protection is good, But the third pole will give some problems in strong winds. We only use the Campo on campgrounds (in treeline). You might get some adventure while camping above the treeline in this tent (also for Taurus).

In the past Vaude did produce probable their strongest tents, the K-2 (3p) and Explorer (2p), both tents with double poles possibilities, making the tents extremely strong. Both tents did also had big snowflaps, for putting snow or rocks on it.

Sadly 3 years ago Vaude did stop producing these tents. Reason: People don't buy it enough anymore.

Lucky for me I still have one K-2  and one Explorer tent, I cherish both.

Now Vaude have 2 other tents as 4 season tents: the Atreus and Odyssee. But both tents don't have snowflaps. Then those tents are not 4-season tents for me.

I went back this winter to this icecave, which I discovered last year at Hoglandlake.

Now I slept in the icecave.

I spent about 3 hours to make pictures/video's in this long icecave.

At the end used my last fire wood to make a nice campfire.

This wood has been skied up at 2009 .............. so it was dry...

Perfect way to end the winter part of this long expedition, which took me about 400 days out in the field over the last 4 years

Many people and organisations on Svalbard are using the "Thermos"

And for me an other big advantage for using the "Thermos" is that the press button can be used with your double handshoes on.

I put all my "Thermos Light" in small isolation covers, it protects the bottle against buts and, of course, the bottle stays warmer (no direct contact with snow and other cold things)

Before sleeping I fill the "The Thermos" with boiling water.(preheat the bottle first with boiling water for some minutes for warmer results) When slowly wake up in the deep frozen tent I can drink a hot cup of tea and warm my hands at the cup, actually the tea is too hot to drink at once......

Thanks for the video, beautiful video positions!

In february I will get out of the train at Hunderfossen station to go to Hafjell ski center.

I remember from years ago that somewhere on the Lagen river (around Hunderfossen/Hafjell) cars are on the Lagen river to drive over the ice.

Can someone tell me if that car circuit is somewhere close to Hunderfossen station?

I want to cross the Lagen river at that place to go to Hafjell skicenter, that will save me some kilometers walking to the bridge, up north.

I know that there are busses driving to Hafjellon the E6, but I prefer the train and I am coming from the Otta direction.

Thanks for the persons who could give me some information about this.

Allthough this card is 3 years old, it is a funny Christmas/New Years card

I am standing on my igloo on Newtontoppen after 3 nights camping on that top!!

http://www.myspace.com/video/polarbearspitsbergen/ski-dancing-christmas-new-years-card/101646114

In the first week of december I spend 8 days in the Las Vegas Mountains.

Visiting the Red Rocks, some small canyons, the Arizona Hot springs, the Grand Canyon and Zion NP.

I made 2 picture/video's of this trip on You Tube, you will see colourful rocks.

The Red Rocks and small canyons:

The Grand Canyon and Zion NP:

Nice pictures indeed, but: isn't it extremely dangerous to walk in there? I mean, with the change of encountering a sudden burst of melting water/'Jokulhaup'-like thing? Anyone who can explain me that?

I walked into this icecave in the beginning of may, it is still winter then on Spitsbergen with no melting water at all. I was more afraid of falling ice. During summermonths there is more icefall danger than in wintermonths and in summer this glacierriver can suddenly rise very quick.

In wintertime it is a little dangerous to walk into this cave, in the summer I wouldn't recommend it.

Thanks for the compliments for the pictures, stay tuned more amazing pictures will come

Last winter I discovered a new Icecave at Hoglandllake under the Mittag-lefflerglacier.

There should be many icecave`s on Spitsbergen, the problem is to find them.

During the summer a big glacierriver is streaming through this icecave.

The cave is about 300m. long with a huge hall in the middle.

I am looking for people who are going to Spitsbergen North in week 16, 15th april-22th april. Or people who are coming back in that period, using snowscooter or partly snowscooter and ski.

Tempelfjorden is losing it's ice, that makes the way to Spitsbergen North a little longer......

I placed interesting picture-video's of some of my expeditions in Spitsbergen on my website.

Some are amazing to watch and some are funny to look at.

I hope you will like it

www.fjelltours.nl/2010_Smallvideos.html

Hi,

Is their anyone who has done this trip in wintertime?

I have been their in summertime.

I am specially interested how to get around point 530 in wintertime?

Going over Krokvatnet is maybe an option, but this lake is maybe regulated or not frozen at all?

Best regards,

Polar Bear

Thanks for the detailed map and the nice pictures ET.

I will walk this round trip and possible place a tent on the top and watch the sunset and sunrise.

Best regards

Polar Bear

Dag G-Evje wrote:

Ravnen sitt bilde har jeg sett før under et annet nik.

Samme person ?

Ravnen and Polar Bear are not the same person.

It looks like Ravnen did like my picture so much that he placed it as Ravnen nicest picture.

It was a picture from the west side of Templet Mountain on Spitsbergen.

www.fjelltours.nl/Spitsbergen/TempletMountain.htm

I have got so many nice mountain pictures, choosen the best one is impossible.

The picture below is from Down Under: This picture, which looks like a painting, is taken from mountaintop Tapua-O-Uenuku (2885) and is looking over the Clarance river with Mountain Manakau in the background. It is hardly to see that the high difference from the Clarance river to Mount Manakau is about 2500 meters.

Hi,

With some creative thinking: On Spitsbergen is also a nice white beach..............

Thank you all for your nice places, I marked them on my maps as places to visit when I am in the area.

For sure I will visit Brennviksanden in the summer with my sea-kayak and maybe also during winter. Thanks for your posting ET and for your link to Brennvikstranden. The pictures on this link are awesome. Take a look and get amazed!

Did you take your picture from the top of Kraktinden ET?

If so, is it possible to scramble up to the top or is it a climbing mountain?

Thanks you all again and I keep on looking for more nice beach suggestions!

Hi,

After the successful Newtontoppen trip from last winter the most of my equipment stayed in the mountains, waiting for the next trip.

During the first 2 weeks of July I used the same equipment again when I was kayaking on the Adventriver. This was also an amazing trip with all kind of adventure.

The upper part of the Adventriver is real white water kayaking (brown water) with (again) much more water then expected.

The lower part of the adventriver is mostly flat streaming water, but was also very exiting because on this part I was paddling with all my equipment behind me in 2 full loaded pulks, see the expeditionlogo/flag.

For some more information about this trip go to:

www.fjelltours.nl/Spitsbergen/kayak2007.html

Enjoy the pictures.