Interview with Katja from Longyearbyen

Hei, I’m Katja and I was born in Holzminden, a small town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, where I grew up close to nature. Through my dual studies at a local global company, I learned to think outside the box. This career path first led to a move to England and then, by chance, to Spitsbergen in 2019. During Corona, I spent some time back in Germany and trained as a coffee expert. However, my true passion is and remains the polar regions, which ultimately led me back. Since then, I have been working as an expedition guide in the Arctic and Antarctic, on land and also a lot on smaller expedition ships, to show the fascination and facets of our polar regions in a sustainable way.

What you can expect:

How exactly did you end up in Longyearbyen?

Most people here on Spitsbergen ended up here more or less by chance – including me. The opportunity presented itself and I made the most of it. Most plans become useless here, because those who plan to stay for a summer are usually still here years later and vice versa. On a business trip to Germany, I got “stranded” in a hotel and there happened to be a travel fair nearby, so a lot of interesting people came together for an after-work beer. One of them raved about Spitsbergen and luckily invited me along. No sooner said than done – a few weeks later I arrived on Svalbard without a precise idea and was shockingly in love! We went on a snowmobile tour, I saw my first polar bear in the wilderness and enjoyed life in the village and the unique light atmosphere. Back in England, I got the call asking if I would like to work for Spitsbergen Travel, a small, very individual tour operator on site, if I liked it so much. And would I want to! So I resigned, sold my household goods and 6 weeks later I was back in Longyearbyen with two travel bags!

How was your first time there? Was it difficult to get used to the special living conditions in such a remote settlement?

Arriving in Spitsbergen wasn’t difficult at all. On the one hand, I had a fantastic team around me who helped me a lot and, on the other, I arrived in May, which meant jumping straight into the sometimes hectic summer season. So there was a lot to do, discover and learn, which kept me distracted and busy. Certainly the midnight sun is very intense to experience, but the extremes to the winter months with cold and darkness would certainly have been an even bigger change to the previous life in England. I only gradually realized what emigrating to Spitsbergen actually meant after the summer.

How difficult or easy is it to gain a foothold there?

Arriving in Longyearbyen requires a lot of initiative and, at best, support from local friends. Finding an apartment and a job can be a challenge at first and often requires a bit of luck – but often both come together, as many companies provide apartments for their employees. In addition, there are only a few bureaucratic hurdles and it is even easier with the circle of friends. For example, there are an extremely large number of sports facilities in the town where you can join in as a local and make new contacts, but you can also often go out with colleagues after work. As a small tip, however, it is advisable to make contact with people who may be looking for a similar time horizon here locally, so that the friendships are also sustainable.

How do you experience social life in Longyearbyen?

I find social life in Longyearbyen to be quite intense – if you want it to be. Of course, there is always the opportunity to withdraw, but if you want social contact, you will find it.

It started – often somewhat involuntarily – with living in shared flats due to the tight housing situation, of course. But beyond that, there are countless events ranging from sports to cultural or more artistic, musical events. There should definitely be something for everyone!

What does your everyday life look like in the northernmost settlement in the world? Does it change with the seasons?

Everyday life … I think that’s rare here. A few professions certainly have that, but as soon as you work in tourism, you have to be absolutely flexible. In the morning, I have a vague idea of what’s coming up and what I want to do, but things often turn out differently than I had planned. This can sometimes be due to a snowstorm or a walrus in the harbor, which you then go and see if you have the chance.

The seasons also have a huge influence on our rhythm – in summer during the midnight sun, the days are really long and even a private evening hike can go on until after midnight (it doesn’t get dark anyway), while from October to December things are a little quieter. For me, this is usually the time to follow the summer and work on expedition ships in the Antarctic. In any case, it never gets boring!

What does your routine look like during the midnight sun and the polar night? How do these extremes affect you?

It definitely helps to adopt a certain daily routine for the respective season – especially for the dark time during the polar night. It has helped me to get up at a certain time in the morning, to be active in sports several times a week, to maintain social contacts and also to use the quiet time for myself. For me, this means above all continuing my education, reading a lot and acquiring new knowledge – on a wide variety of topics in the polar regions, of course. But everyone finds their own way. 😉

Otherwise, the darkness can quickly take over and lead to extreme tiredness and lack of energy. Funnily enough, it’s similar in summer during the midnight sun – due to the high level of activity and the difficulty of telling the body to shut down and switch off at night, this also leads to a kind of exhaustion for me. Fortunately, this is balanced out by so many great moments and in the fall/winter months at the latest you can rest and recover a little.

My favorite months are August/September and February – both for almost the same reasons: the light! While at the end of the summer there is a lot to do in terms of hiking, you can already admire the first sunsets when the sky over our fjord is glowing fiery orange/red. At the end of January, the first signs of daylight return and in February, the snowy landscape and the sky are often colored in various pastel shades – from kitschy pink to almost purple. Being out and about on a snowmobile in this endless expanse, perhaps in search of a mountain where you can catch the first rays of sunshine, is simply unique!

Does the isolation of the place give you more of a feeling of freedom, or do you sometimes find it restrictive?

I find the relaxed life in the village very liberating. It’s just very relaxed that you don’t have to lock anything all the time and can leave your things outside without worrying. For me, it’s a kind of basic understanding of how to deal with each other, where you simply trust each other and look out for and respect each other.

Sometimes it’s inconvenient when you need something very specific and can’t get it locally. People often fall back on their willingness to help or make other arrangements. And sometimes the question arises as to whether you really need it or just think you do.

However, as soon as you leave the place, freedom goes hand in hand with the equipment and level of knowledge you have. There are a few safety measures to take regarding polar bear safety, but also cold, glaciers, sea ice, first aid, communication and much more. The more I know and can do, the safer I am on the road and my radius expands accordingly. Especially for someone like me, who is very independent, it was difficult at the beginning to fall back on the help and knowledge of others, but you quickly learn that you stick together and are there for each other.

How does it feel to share an island with one of the largest land predators on earth, the polar bear? Do you feel a certain tension when you are out and about?

I don’t feel tense when I leave the place – because of the polar bears. But of course I take appropriate safety measures/precautions and behave accordingly. When I’m out and about, I always keep an eye on what’s going on around me: whether there are any low-visibility areas ahead, make sure we have a polar bear watch for camping, etc. Depending on how I’m traveling, it can also be very different – for example, I can retreat relatively quickly by snowmobile or boat, whereas I’m slower on hikes and have to be even more careful.

But the main thing for me is that we don’t disturb the polar bear in its natural environment or even interfere with its behavior.

Do things like the Northern Lights, polar days and polar nights become the norm at some point, or is it fascinating every time?

Never! At least not for me … I am still fascinated by all these natural phenomena that I get to experience here on site. Sometimes I even think that the opposite is the case: things that are actually normal are appreciated more and become special, such as the light after dark or especially trees when you come back to the mainland. When was the last time you really appreciated that?

As a coffee expert: Where is the best coffee in Longyearbyen? 😉

At my home, of course, or at my colleagues at Svalbardbrenneri, our local coffee roastery. But as they unfortunately don’t have a café, my recommendation is the super cozy Huskies Café – including huskies that absolutely want to be petted.

What advice can you give to people visiting Longyearbyen? Which tour can you particularly recommend?

Definitely travel in small groups or as individually as possible! This simply makes for a much more intense experience. For expedition ships this means at best fewer than 100 guests on board and for snowmobile tours and hikes ideally 6 – 8 adventurers.

Simply contact Spitsbergen Reisen (www.spitzbergen-reisen.no) and we can give you honest advice on what suits you best!

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