White sculptures, sometimes smooth and round, sometimes narrow and sharp, huge glaciers flowing down the blue water of the fjord. This morning the atmosphere was dominated by two colours, the white of the mountains and the blue of the sea and sky.
We climbed with our skis up the narrow ridge to the region’s highest mountains. Nordenskjold fjellet is 1049 meters above sea level and to me this is the best place around Longyearbyen.
From the top, on a bright clear day like today, you can see the landscape on the northern side of the Isfjorden. You can also see Oscar II Land and you can understand how the geology has strongly influenced the landscape because different rocks have different textures. They have been eroded in different ways and this in turn has changed their shape.
Mountaineering here in the Arctic is a bit “extreme” and is quite different to what I have been used to in the Alps; you have to deal with a big problem - the cold. Here it is constant and, like a knife, it tends to penetrate through your skin and, at times, it can be painful.
Often, when you are at the top, you cannot properly enjoy the moment and the amazing views because the wind constantly reminds you that this human presence at the top of the Arctic mountains will soon be over.
This is the first time that I want to leave the top of the mountain as soon as possible, despite the fact that it is wonderful being on the peak, taking pictures and enjoying the fabulous sensation of being at the point where the earth and sky meet.
The emotion is undoubtedly strong, and when you get back home after a long trip in the cold, in the amazing Arctic wilderness, you feel strong, happy and tired.
I want to dedicate these pictures to my grandmother, Giovanna. She passed away last week after a good life in the mountains in the Italian Alps. I know now that she is looking down at me.