Sipping red, with a polar bear outside: My life as a tourist guide in the High Arctic

by Herdis Schopka

From spring 2000 to summer 2003 I spent three summer and three spring (i.e. winter to anyone but arctic optimists) seasons working as a tourist guide in Svalbard. In my job, I took tourists on snowmobile trips and hikes in the uninhabited wilderness, as well as sipping red wine with them on cruises on ice breakers in latitudes above 80° north. In this slide show I'm going to show some pictures from my trips around this arctic archipelago, tell you how on Earth I ended up in this somewhat surreal life, and enjoy with you the sight of the snow and ice that we (at least some of us) are missing this winter. Especially recommended for those of you who think that the current Ithaca winter is way too sissy for your taste.