The more recent history of land activity on Barentsøya:

The island became a Nature Reserve in 1973 and all motorized traffic is prohibited. (snowmobile). No one had driven around the island before '73. In the early 80s, Johannes Hjønnevåg and Robin Buzza were dog driving in the northern part. In 1988, Buzza, Jan Brunner and Nina Fure were also mushing in the North. In 1992 Jan Brunner and Levi Rørvik was in the same area with dogs, Franken Peninsula. In 2004, Anton Trøen & Pritta drove from North to South across the Barentsjøkul (glacier) with dogs. In the last 20 years, no one has moved (legally) on land on the Barents Islands in wintertime.

No one has ever circumnavigated the island on land before now. Here comes the story:

Day 0:

The transport of 4 humans & 21 dogs to the East Coast of Spitsbergen

Starting with snowmobiles at the dogyard in Longyearbyen

Break in Sassen Valley

On top of Usher Glacier

Down Usher Glacier. Barents Island and Stor Fjord in background

Camp at Usher Glacier morain. From here the dogs have to work.

Camplife at Usher Glacier

some of the 21 dogs

Day 1:

The Crossing Of The Stor Fjord starts on westside of Spitsbergen in Mohnbukta

55 km track over the ice to west side of Freeman Sound

Barents Island left, Freeman Sound in the midle and Edgeøya right

flat is in the midle of Stor Fjord

Stor Fjord means "Big Fjord" - and it is!

Break on Stor Fjord ice

Ingvild & The Team

Getting in heavier ice east in Stor Fjord

The border between flat ice and packice

me finding a way in the packice

Spitsbergen in background

Barentsøya

The first view of Würzburger cabin

Würzburger cabin

The Barents Island 2024 crew

Looking east into Freeman Sound

Freeman Sound to east

Kapp Lee, Edgeøya on the other side of Freeman Sound

our home for two nights: Würzburger cabin

Day 2:

Rectour to the East

Since the Freeman Sound was packed with impassable ice and we had to go around Cape Waldeburg to get around, we needed a rec-tour with light sleds to check if it was possible to get to the East Coast. For me, perhaps the best day of the trip (the reason comes on day 3)

We had to round this place: Cape Waldeburg

One week old Radar SatPix indicate open water out there

The rec-tour track

Easy start from Würzburger

Heavy packed ice along the shore

The front of Freeman Glacier

Almost out at Cape Waldburg

The East cost of Barentsøya

discussing an other way back

... we will try Freemann Glacier route

Day 3:

The East Coast (1)

Now we are ready for the East Coast! We was initially thinking of taking the entire east side all the way up to the Frankenhalvøya (80-90 Km) in a long day with the possibility of camping if it was too far. - There was a camp in the bear country:

Leaving Würzburger

Icefoot in Freeman Sound

some part was very easy to move on

freshwater in front of Freeman Glacier

almost at Cape Waldburg

the icefoot at Cape Waldburg

picking up firewood depot from the rec-tour

lunch

Within half an hour all crap on this tour happend. It started with the sled got into cracks in the icefoot several times

then the sled turned over. No big deal here...

So we got a second tipover. Tina got it on teip: I was thrown from the sled and hit an ice cube with all my weight on my left kidney. I could not move and was in great pain

Marcos, Tina and Ingvild had to set up an emergency camp in the middle of the bear country about halfway on the east coast and got me inside the tent. Very strong wind from the glacier made it difficult

View north on the east coast (Ritterflya) with M&T's tent

The tent was barely set up when a bear came towards the tent which Marcos scared away. When he got inside the tent, the stove caught fire and the whole inner tent was full of flames and smoke

The question was whether I had suffered internal bleeding from the fall. In this case, Super Puma helicopter were probably the only way out

We made satphone contact with a doctor and the gang looked after me

Since we are in what we consider to be Svalbard's densest bear population, the three others organized a night watch of 3 hours each

Eventually it didn't look like internal bleeding and I took some strong painkillers

The question was whether I could continue the trip? Was going to decide on it the next morning. View: Olgastredet to east

Track for Day 3

Day 4:

The East Coast (2)

Moving on North at the East Coast

The night was painfull but I decided I could continue as a patient sitting on the sled. Leaving the emergency camp headding North over Ritterflya here

50 mg of morphine during the day sitting on the sled. The seaice east of Barentsøya here.

Crossing west into Dorstbukta. North side of Barentsøya

Plenty of reindeers at the SE and NW side! Here: Dorstbukta

Augne Glacier in background

Frankenpeninsula

Augnebreen

Frankenpeninsula

We had to find a way over Frankenpeninsula

A pass that we hope will bring us over Frankenpeninsula to the Heimland cabin

On the map everything is flat, but the terrain wasn't

Finding a way

not flat

Getting down to seaice in Ginevrabotn. Marcos&Tina collect glacier ice for fresh water

Heimland cabin

Heimland cabin

Heimland cabin

The track.

Thanx to Marcos, Tina and Ingvild who brought med save from the camp to the save cabin!

Day 5:

Heimland

Restitution & bad weather

My condition wasn't good. A lot of pain and eating painkillers. But the weather was bad and we needed a resting day anyway

Cabin life at Heimland

Marcos dealing with the dogs

Our leader dog: Lesum

Stilleben @ Heimland

Inside Heimland

Me writing in the cabin book

20 years ago Anton Trøen & Pritta was here with their dogsteams

Our notes in the cabin book at Heimland

The weather looked a bit better for tomorrow

Day 6:

The way home over Stor Fjord

Bad weather & GPS navigation

I'm still a patient with a lot of pain but we had to point the dognoses SW and cross the Storfjord

nice conditions on the ice at Heimland

then it was snowing and snowing and snowing...

25 km from Heimland: Mistakodden

Mistakodden

with GPS on headding out on Stor Fjord

Storfjord with some visibility

"dekrølling" the dogslines

Some times we could see Barentsøya and Edgeøya but we never saw Spitsbergen befor hidding shoreline

After 65 km the mod was bad! Tons of snow and slow progress for the teams

Ingvild decided to put on her skies and walked in front of the dogs

We had to reach the old camp in the Usher morain.

I can't understand where she got the energy from! I was completely exhausted even mostly sitting as a patient on the sled

The old camp in the Usher morain

The 70 Km track from Heimland to Usher moraine

Day 7:

The 80 Km way home over land back to Longyearbyen

Tons of snow - and the miss of snow

We reversed the day and drove at night. Streams and waterholes were frozen at night.

A lot of snow on Usherbreen

Rabbotmoraine and Sassendalen

Up Rabbotmoraine

Marcos up Rabbotmoraine

Break at Eskerfossen

Adventdalen. Almost no snow here at Innehytta

At Innehytta.

But we made it with the snowmobiles all the way in to town.

A big THANKS to Ingvild, Tina & Marcos!

Without their help I couldn't implement this tour after my accident on the east coast of Barentsøya!