In May, 2013 I had the fortune to travel to one of the most mind blowing ski destinations on planet earth. The small archipelago known as Svalbard, Norway lies high above the Arctic Circle, just 600 miles south of the North Pole. As a co-guide for this intimate ski expedition myself along with guide Andrew Eisenstark joined Captain Stein Simenstad and First Mate Helga Eide on the 62-foot Arctica II. This sailboat served as our base camp for the adventure as a stellar group of clients joined us for one week, and a dream crew of pro skiers and guides joined us for a second week.
Since our return I have offered several stories as both a freelance writer and photographer speaking to this once in a lifetime experience. Those stories can be accessed by clicking on the following links: Powder Part 1, Powder Part II, Powder Part III, Teton Gravity Research, Backcountry Magazine, Unofficial Networks. Some pieces are driven by text, some are driven by images. There’s also a brilliant feature piece on our trip, written by Kim Havell, with photos by Gabe Rogel, in the December 2013 issue of Freeskier Magazine. The following is the third of a three part photo essay encompassing some of my favorite shots from the trip that are not featured in any of the above pieces. While I believe all of these stories speak to the unequivocal brilliance of the area and experience, the following represents some of my favorite shots from the entire trip.
If you want to learn more about skiing and traveling to the Amazon, North Pole, Morocco, Antarctica, or the Arctic with Ice Axe Expeditions please visit their website. I’m particularly fired up to help guide on the Greenland trip this spring and encourage you to get in touch with me if you’re interested in joining the expedition. Lastly, a huge thanks to my sponsors for making dependable ski gear worthy of use in the harshest mountain environments: Black Diamond, Mountain Hardwear, Praxis Skis, Smith Optics, GU, Intuition Liners, Clif Bar.
Read the rest here
