If You Go Down To The Woods, Bring A Gun
Sun Herald
Sunday August 22, 2004
BE sure to take up the locals' offer to rent you a World War II Mauser rifle if you plan to stray off the beaten track in Svalbard, one of the world's most northerly tourist destinations.
While the polar bears are a major draw to the Norwegian archipelago along with husky-drawn sleigh rides under the midnight sun and expeditions to the North Pole nature lovers are advised not to go unarmed outside the capital, Longyearbyen. Although attacks are rare, in 1996 one woman was killed by a bear and another injured when they ignored the warnings. Holidaying in Svalbard is not for the faint-hearted. A group of hikers walking on a glacier fell through a crevasse at Easter and a group of tourists had to be airlifted by helicopter after their boat ran aground in an icy fjord. "So what's on tomorrow's schedule, getting eaten by polar bears?" joked a British tourist after returning safely to his hotel from the boat trip. Longyearbyen, a coal-dust caked town among snowy peaks and icy landscapes at 78 degrees north between the Arctic Ocean and the Barents Sea, has only 1700 inhabitants. But many who visit often return. Said a silver-haired Swede: "I've been all over the world. South-East Asia, New Zealand, Venezuela, the Caribbean. But this is the only place I've come to twice. I was entranced." Once a stopover for whalers and explorers, coal quickly took over as Svalbard's main business when the American John Longyear founded the first mine in 1906. Today just three mines are still active. These days, some of the tens of thousands of tourists who visit each year use Svalbard as a base for expeditions to the North Pole, 1000 kilometres away. Most who live here love the fact that the sun never sets between April and August and does not rise at all from October to February. Said Therese, a Swede working in Longyearbyen: "I was driving my team of dogs over the Foxfonna glacier one [winter] day. There was a bluish glow from the northern lights, the moon and the stars. I didn't even need a torch and it was all quiet. It was one of the most intense experiences of my life." But such days are an exception and summer comes as a relief, she says. The archipelago, slightly smaller than Ireland, is home to some 900 Russian coalminers and, in the high season, about 2500 polar bears. At the local shopping mall tourists can rent rifles left over from the German occupation in World War II, still stamped with a swastika, in case of attacks. Eating a polar bear could be almost as bad as being attacked by one. Parasites in the meat have been known to kill, though some local restaurants are rumoured to serve it if diners sign a waiver promising not to sue. * For accommodation see www.long yearbyen.radissonsas.com. For general details www.svalbard.com.
© 2004 Sun Herald
