What it’s like to experience 24-hour darkness during winter in Svalbard. Photo / Getty Images
What it’s like to experience 24-hour darkness during winter in Svalbard. Photo / Getty Images
The world’s most northernmost town Longyearbyen is part of the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Every winter, its 2000-strong population experiences the Polar Night, when everything is plunged into 24-hour darkness, writes Florianne Humphrey
In December, I said goodbye to the sun for a week. I was flying to Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago owned by Norway, to experience life in 24-hour darkness.
From November to February, Svalbard experiences the Polar Night, where the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon. The only natural light - the stars, the moon, and the elusive Aurora Borealis.
“If you could see anything, the conditions are good. It’s colder, icier, darker, and windier than the mainland – but apart from that, perfect weather. Have fun!” said the captain over the tannoy. Cold, ice, dark, wind – not the ideal ingredients for a holiday. The two questions my friends and family asked when I told them my destination was Svalbard: “Where is that?” and “Why?”.
The unwelcoming weather wasn’t the only danger waiting for me. At the baggage carousel, I met my first polar bear. A statue wearing a Christmas hat, luckily, but a worrying reminder that I was now sharing a land mass with around 3000 deadly predators.
Polar bear signs are protective boundary markers for both visitors and the 2500 or so residents of Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost town and Svalbard’s largest. Step beyond these signs, and you must carry a protective firearm. This means, as a tourist, you can’t leave without a guide. Other unusual restrictions include a beer and liquor ration, and a ban on owning cats, picking flowers, giving birth, and being buried.
While I couldn’t venture out alone into the wilderness, strolling around town was equally as adventurous during the Polar Night. Every sense was heightened by the darkness; every shadow played tricks on my eyes and mind. The subzero temperatures made me feel like an overwintering explorer. Towering above me, illuminated by streetlights and the moon, the beautiful snow-covered mountains that cradle Longyearbyen.
Visitors cannot leave town without a guide and a firearm for polar bear protection. Photo / 123RF
The old town, almost destroyed during World War II, was particularly eerie in the dark. Abandoned mining infrastructure created a post-apocalyptic vibe; next to the world’s northernmost church were five wooden steps leading to nowhere, the remnants of Longyearbyen’s first hospital; and further along, sitting alone on an empty road, a haunting graveyard of crosses marking the victims of Spanish influenza. Even scarier than ghosts – a set of enormous pawprints, fresh in the snow.
Thankfully, visitors can easily find creature comforts. For a tiny Arctic outpost, Longyearbyen is surprisingly cosmopolitan, with the world’s fastest internet. Svalbard is a visa-free zone, which has attracted around 50 nationalities to Longyearbyen. One night, I even treated myself to the world’s northernmost Thai takeaway.
As a living laboratory, Svalbard is also home to multiple scientific research stations studying phenomena such as climate change impacts, and the mysterious Global Seed Vault, which stores duplicates of seeds around the world – humanity’s doomsday plan.
The town has multiple shops, bars, and restaurants, with plenty of activities accessible within the boundaries, from museums to brewery tours. If, like me, you prefer Type Two fun, then head to SvalBad, a floating sauna in Longyearbyen’s harbour, and enjoy the rush of a polar plunge in the ink-black Arctic Ocean.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard during the Polar Night. Photo / Getty Images
While the constant darkness was disorientating, particularly in the middle of the day, establishing a routine around these activities helped me acclimatise and fight off drowsiness brought on by the lack of light. When I needed to escape the dark and cold, my favourite spot was Café Huskies, where I sipped coffee in the company of its resident dogs. There, I chatted to the café‘s owner, Martin Fiala, about how he lives and works in Longyearbyen during the Polar Night season.
“I have to find things to do, because the darkness magnifies problems. My circadian rhythm isn’t there, so I can’t get stay inside and hibernate. I also have to focus more on my basic needs, like sleeping and eating well. I also embrace the change in seasons, something many people don’t do further south,” explained Fiala.
Svalbard is home to the Global Seed Vault, storing vital crop seeds from around the world. Photo / 123RF
Despite the challenges of the Polar Night, living in Svalbard makes Fiala feel “more alive”, which is what has pulled him back to the region for so many years.
“I have one life. I want to maximise on unique experiences, and it’s easier to do it in Svalbard. Life’s too short to watch places like this on your television from your comfortable city apartment.”
One of these unique and truly Svalbardian experiences was a snowmobile trip with Snowfox Travel. Snowmobiles outnumber people: they have separate roads and specific signs, and I even spotted one for sale in the supermarket. Protected by my rifle-toting guide, Nadja, we sped out of town along the 30-kilometre valley of Adventdalen, surrounded by a barren landscape of mountains, tundra, and pingos. At every stop, Nadja shone her torch to check for polar bears. Outside of town, the cold was more biting, the silence more deafening, and the darkness pressed harder against my eyes. The Aurora was also clearer, a shimmering ribbon of colour competing with the stars for our attention.
Snowmobiles outnumber people in Longyearbyen and have their own road signs. Photo / 123RF
“I love coming out here and watching the stars during the Polar Night. I think about where I am – on a remote island in the middle of nowhere – and how ridiculous it is that people live here. I feel humbled, and very small, surrounded by the darkness and the wilderness,” Nadja said.
Nadja, who moved from Berlin, enjoys Longyearbyen’s smaller population and slower pace of life. However, like Fiala, she tries to stay busy during the Polar Night. “If you know the area well, and have a headtorch and a battery, then the darkness doesn’t stop you exploring,” she said, citing ice climbing, caving, and skiing among the activities she and her friends enjoy doing during this season.
With no indigenous population, all of Longyearbyen’s residents have chosen to move to and stay in Svalbard, which creates a stronger community of like-minded people who all love the High Arctic lifestyle.
“There are a lot of social events for a small town, and more time to make connections with people away from the chaos and distractions of a big city. With the challenges of living in Svalbard – particularly mental health problems during the Polar Night - people also care about one another more, and can sense if you’re struggling,” added Nadja.
For Nadja, the Polar Night is also a time to slow down, compared to the intensity of the summer season’s 24-hour light, that brings with it an increase of tourists, work, and a desire to be constantly outside. Reading, watching films, and sleeping more are some of the things Nadja does to reset, and she encourages visitors to embrace this quieter pace of life.
The Aurora Borealis is often visible in Svalbard, even during daylight hours in winter. Photo / 123RF
“Most people come here and book back-to-back activities. Don’t create a crazy schedule; go with the local flow and simply walk around town. The Polar Night is relaxing and that’s how we live it.”
Even the snowmobile trip was relaxing. That is, until our chat was interrupted by the thrum of a helicopter shining a beam on the snow below. A polar bear, being chased away from town.
Escaping on our snowmobiles away from an alien wilderness and a dangerous predator towards the comforting light of a strangely familiar, almost ordinary town: that is the paradox of Svalbard and the Polar Night, and you simply have to visit to believe it.
Checklist
SVALBARD
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Oslo with one stopover with Qatar Airways and Emirates. Svalbard can be reached with SAS or Norwegian Airways, with flights departing both Oslo and Tromsø.
