Svalbard, Arctic Ski And Sail – Dronning Maud
•
As we sailed into the northern reaches of Svalbard, we had to make sure to not let the high of saving the trip cloud our judgment as we entered the remote terrain of the Arctic. And as the free water from the nights previous rain drained through the snowpack, there were wet slides on almost every aspect. Between the obvious red flags and the boot top snow on our first tour, our optimism was low for skiing anything big.
•
The morning of the second day, we intended to leave the bay we were in, but we woke up with no power. No power not only means no running water or light, it also meant we were stuck in the fjord until the power came back. After some gross bathroom bucket situations, our captain decided we should go ski while he tried to fix the power. We started up Dronning Maud, one of the largest peaks in the area, with low optimism. But as we neared the steeper slopes of the mountain, we noticed a welcome change, supportable corn snow.
•
As we neared the summit, all the smaller terrain fell away, and we could see endless views of white glaciers, blue ice, turquoise fjords and the open ocean. I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the place we were standing, the sights we saw, all the events in life that lead us to this moment. After all the false starts and setbacks, we were living out the dream. The turns off Dronning Maud were not only some of the best of the trip, but some of my favorite in my ski career so far.
Svalbard Ski & Sail – Dronning Maud
05/25/2022