Dog sledding all year round!

Almost without sound, the paws of eight strong huskies hit the Arctic snow. The silence early on this February morning is deafening. It’s still dark. It feels like we can stretch out our arms and touch the many stars shining down on us from up above. There will be a few hours of twilight in the middle of the day before the darkness and the stars return. In two weeks time, the sun will rise above the horizon again for the first time since October.

We're two people on each sled. One driver and one passenger. Wrapped up in layers of warm clothes, we hardly notice the cold. At the front of our row of sleds is the guide with polar bear protection. We're surrounded by endless snow-covered plateaus and mountains. Slowly but surely the landscape changes as the twilight emerges. The beautiful pastels of February colour the mountains with countless shades of pink and blue. We're headed to a glacier near Longyearbyen and, as part of this adventure, we'll explore an ice cave.

The terrain becomes steeper as our row of sleds winds its way up the terminal moraine to the glacier. Dog sledding is a fine-tuned interaction between dogs and people. It’s an activity that it's easy to get a feel for, but if anyone requires help along the way, the experienced guide is always close by.

Having arrived at the ice cave, we unharness the dogs and tether them by the sleds. There's no such thing as a passive passenger on a dog sledding trip. We all help out with the various tasks along the way, and that's what makes this adventure so enjoyable.

Through a small hole we climb 30 metres down into the glacier and enter the ice cave. We're surrounded by centuries old ice as we venture further in. The icy formations appear like works of art, and change with each step we take. The only light here is provided by our headlamps. The guide soon asks us to switch these off. For a few minutes, we stand in complete darkness and take in the sounds of the glacier. We've never experienced this kind of darkness before.

As we emerge from the ice cave the twilight above contrasts with the darkness below. The dogs are resting in the snow and some light snowflakes flutter towards the ground. At this time of the year the darkness soon returns, and one by one the twinkling stars reappear.

It's summer, the sleds are replaced by wagons on wheels, and the snow is replaced by roads and tundra. The mountains are brown, but patches of snow remain here and there.

Although summer and winter in Svalbard are like two different worlds, they have one thing in common: the dogs. Regardless of the season, the dogs are just as eager and happy when they set off into the wilderness.

The sun is still high in the sky, and the first sunset this side of the summer solstice is still several weeks away. The cotton grass on the tundra sways in the wind and the reindeer graze peacefully. The Arctic summer is brief, beautiful and intense.

Seated on the wagon in front of us, two happy children are trying dog sledding for the first time. There are screams of joy as the wagon starts rolling along the road in Adventdalen valley. At the midway point of the trip we stop to give the dogs a well-earned drink of water.

A real highlight awaits us when we return to the dog yard: meeting the puppies. Regardless of the season, the excursions end with an opportunity to greet the cute puppies, followed by coffee and biscuits.

Regardless of whether you travel by sled or wagon, you are assured of a close-up experience with the dogs and nature. Although there are many on each trip if you count both the two- and four-legged participants, the silence is perhaps what you will remember most of all. Experiencing the majestic Svalbardian nature with a team of dogs provides a memory to treasure for the rest of your life!