Adventdalen

Adventdalen runs east from Longyearbyen as a broad flat-floored valley of braided river and tundra, and most of what supports the town sits in it: the dog yards, the old coal mine cableways on the slopes, the antenna field used for upper atmosphere research, and at its mouth the Global Seed Vault, driven into the permafrost of the mountainside to hold duplicate samples of the world's crop seed.

Background

Adventdalen, the Advent Valley, runs for 30 kilometres on Spitsbergen, and its river, the Adventdalselva, flows into Adventfjorden, an arm of Isfjorden, just outside Longyearbyen. The valley begins at the glaciers Hellefonna and Drønbreen below the mountains Slottet and Tronfjellet and ends at Haugen near the University Centre in Svalbard. Coal mines line its southern side; Mines 5 and 6 are closed, while Mine 7, 15 kilometres from town, was the last Norwegian coal mine still working in 2023. The lake Isdammen supplies the town's water, and the name has nothing to do with advent: it comes from the English whaler Adventure, based here in 1656.

Source: Wikipedia, "Adventdalen"

The landscape

• The Global Seed Vault - the store driven into the permafrost at the valley mouth.
• The dog yards - the kennels that supply the sledding operations.
• The antenna field - the research masts used for upper atmosphere study.
• The braided river - the flat valley floor and its shifting channels.

When to go

March to May for snowmobile and dog sledding, June to September for walking. The valley is dark from November to February. Reindeer are present year round.

Things to know

The Seed Vault cannot be entered; only the entrance face is visible from outside. Polar bear risk begins where the road ends and protection is required. The valley floor is wet and braided in summer.

Nearby

Longyearbyen is west, and Trollsteinen rises to the south.

Key facts