Newtontoppen

Newtontoppen rises to 1,713 metres in the ice fields of northern Spitsbergen, the highest point in Svalbard, and reaching it means an expedition: a week or more of ski touring or snowmobile travel across glaciers from Longyearbyen, hauling everything, in country where nobody is close enough to help. It is climbed in the spring when the glaciers are still snow-covered and the light has returned but before the melt.

Highlights

• The summit - 1,713 metres, the highest point in Svalbard.
• The ice fields - the glacier country of northern Spitsbergen the route crosses.
• The expedition approach - a week or more of self-supported travel to reach it.
• The spring light - the season when the sun has returned but the snow holds.

When to go

April and May are the expedition season, with light and firm snow together. Outside that the glaciers are crevassed and travel is unsafe. Winter darkness rules out most of the year.

Before you go

This is a serious polar expedition requiring glacier travel skills, polar bear protection, permits and search-and-rescue insurance. Nobody is nearby if things go wrong. It is not a walk-up peak in any sense.

Nearby

Austfonna is northeast, and Longyearbyen is far south.

Key facts