Sun, snowmobiling, breakdown... an ordinary weekend...

So, with big plans for the weekend, we were setting our self up for a great weekend. Determined to see the sun and tour around a little bit, we prepared our snowmobile, packed our clothes, and were ready to take off first thing in the morning. But, Saturday we ended up sleeping in, and we only had time for a short trip before we had to head back to town for a birthday dinner with some friends. We did get to see the sun, and we were both super stoked to see our shadows again... What a great minute and a half it was.

Sunday we planned to try it again and take off early, however once again we slept in and got off to a late start. We made it up to a mountain on the other side of the fjord, for a great view and some picture taking... Then, on our way home, after driving for 30 meters or so, the snowmobile decided it didn't want to go any further and found it best to stay just where it was... If you ask me what was wrong, I'll ask you back. NO IDEA...

We brought our safety gear, rifle, food, water, flare gun, spare clothes, toques and phones and started walking the 3-4 hours to get back to town... after walking 100 meters or so, we met some people, coming out of nowhere on their snowmobiles, and we were super lucky to catch a ride back to town with them. Jessica on the back of a teenagers one seated snowmobile definitely made his day (it's not everyday you get to have a stuffed green giant on the back of your ride).

Once again things didn't work out as we had planned, but a stop at the local cafe (yes there is only one) made everything better and now we are just happy that the snowmobile decided to break down as close to town as it did. I'll head back out tomorrow, and try to get it fixed and brought back to town. We feel a little sorry for our snowmobile up there in the cold all alone and naked.

Yay for weekends.

View from the Longyearbyen glacier. Hiortfjellet on the other side. The snowmobile stopped almost at the top of the mountain, on left hand side, below the small white cloud, where there is a "crack" in the mountain.

Our first glimpse of the sun. We had to cross the valley, but god was it worth it. Wonderful sight !

It strikes you after a couple of months, how much you miss your shade.

Done playing Peter Pan...

Oskar in the "Teletubby" set up.

Just loving it !

It's hard to tell, but she's actually smiling behind all that...

This is Jessica's new helmet. Thank you parents!

Jessica in her "Teletubby" set up. Longyearbyen can be seen in the background.

The airport on the right.

Just as we are about to leave our fallen comrade (snowmobile) behind.

Jessica charging up for the sun !

Mørketid is over and soon the Sun will come.

We have now been in Longyearbyen for nearly 2 months and the dark season is over; well, we still haven't seen the sun but it will soon shine on our cold little town. About two weeks ago the sky started turning blue instead of black just to the South, but it is now a very bright sky for many of the 24hours in a day. Come Sunday the sun will be above the horizon for those standing at 1000m above sea level and by the beginning of March we will no longer have an actual black night just blåtime (blue hour). The rain has stopped now and the snow has finally arrived (what little there is on Svalbard), so we have been out enjoying the nature that lured us here.

Our brand-spankin-new snowmobile has taken us on a few short trips, including those where we went to the ice grottos. On the first trip we left the longyear valley and went into Adventdalen (the valley with the fjord) and then turned up one of the neighbouring valleys. Because we were now away from the glow of the "city" we saw so many stars and Northern Lights; it was an amazing show.

We have been on a couple of ski trips so far, but my first successful topptur on skis was yesterday afternoon up Sukkertoppen. I am still yet to have my first yard sale (big fall) on skis, but I'm sure you will all be informed by the ever-so-loving Oskar the moment it happens.

At the top of Vannledningsdalen before we went over to Sukkertoppen.

The view to the south from our house... March 8th the sun will appear over the mountain and shine down on our house.

The "magic mountain", Hiortfjellet on the other side of the fjord. With it's 1000 heightmeters, it's a "must go" ski mountain later in the season.

Towards north from our house, it looks darker... well, darker than to the south.

Exploring the cave systems under the Scott Turner Glacier, with our good friend, neighbour and tenant Henning.

The cave is kind of like a frozen water slide, with 30 meters high walls, without the water, the heat or the swim shorts.

Graceful smurf

Icicles hanging from the roof. some places 5 meters long. Hence the helmets in all of the other pictures.

Which way was out again? I think it's this way....

Last little glimpse of the dark sky. This is what it would look like if you fell into a crevasse.

On our way back out and up.

Most of the photos from our ice cave trip are from our friend Espen.