… at its best. “Light winter”, does that actually translate? “Lichtwinter” is not a common word in German either, but a wonderful one. Not “winter light” in terms of a less pronounced cold season, but a winter combined with beautiful light. And that is exactly what you can get in Spitsbergen in late March. Unless the weather is as it was around mid March this year. Quite terrible at times. But then, winter came back with force, with temperatues well below -20 degrees centigrade 🙂 everybody who cares for outdoor life in the Arctic could have a splendid time.
Wind-carved snow surface in Nordenskiöld Land.
And so did we. Beautiful arctic winter impressions. March can produce wonderful light: during nighttime, it still gets more or less dark – although it is getting a bit thin on the ground with regards to northern lights – so long sunsets cast stunning light over the snowy landscape. After the spring equinox, this year on March 20, the darkness of the night begins to give way to the light of the midnight sun. An wonderful time for anyone who appreciates potentially fantastic light situations, just as the late summer.
The light of the low sun and sea fog over Adventfjord on a cold day,
with the airport in the background.
We made good use of these stunning days. Here are some impressions of the light winter in Spitsbergen in the second half of March between east coast, Adventfjord and Van Mijenfjord: