Pierre Fijalkowski and the Spitsbergen
The Svalbard archipelago includes a handful of islands halfway between the North Cape in Norway and the North Pole. Spitsbergen is the largest of these islands.
This distant land is only 1,020 kilometers from the North Pole. Which makes it one of the most northerly lands in the world.
We are here in the polar bear kingdom. It is totally protected and its population of 3000 individuals is larger than that of humans.
More than two-thirds of the land is covered by glaciers, and pack ice encircles the entire island in winter.
Across the country the land is frozen to a depth of 100 m, sometimes up to 400 m. On this tundra, the only “tree” that can grow is the Polar Willow. It is only a few millimeters high. Here the mushrooms are taller than the trees.
In summer the sun does not set for 4 months.
1984
Pierre Fijalkowski discovers this polar land for the first time. Since then, he has returned every year to paddle or ski in this distant land. After these two solo expeditions, he was eager to make his grandiose landscapes known and shared with other people.
1998
He created the Svalbard Nature travel agency, a structure specializing in kayak or ski tours in Spitsbergen.
With a great experience, he has no trouble deciding the biggest French travel agencies to sell his trips.
He designs travel stays suitable for a large audience with a constant concern for safety and comfort.
He begins by making tours in summer in sea kayaking then in spring in ski and pulka.
He is one of those who have guided “the last degree in skiing at the Geographical North Pole” these last 100 kilometers of skiing on the ice floe, to reach the pole.
2010
He created another agency: Arctica Nature, which, in addition to Spitsbergen, organizes trips to northern Norway.
Passionate about research and technological innovations, he never stops designing innovative equipment and proposing solutions to design tours combining all safety with the best possible comfort given the sometimes difficult conditions.
Sauna tent
His agency is the first to
- 1998 use a large mess tent for meals.
- 2000 use chairs and tables for meals.
- 2008 create fact sheets on all the animals of Spitsbergen.
- 2016 use bear-resistant containers to leave food at camp during absences..
- 2018 use sauna and hot shower on the camp
- 2019 use bear-proof electric fences and surveillance drones.
He develops
A very cold down jacket
It has a different cut from other jackets, which gives it incomparable comfort. It is composed of a mixed filling (down-synthetic), it offers a large hood with visor, to protect against the wind… This jacket was used on several expeditions, including some to the North Pole. Made by Technique et Textile
A mess tent for winter:
Inspired by Sami tents, it was developed using the most modern technology: 3 years for the development. It is without zipper, fireproof for safety reasons and can withstand winds of 150 km / h. Easy to set up even in – 30 ° C and in gusts of wind, it holds up by itself thanks to the weight of the snow. Made by Technique et Textile
A pulka
2.10 m long, it is the only pulka with a pad spacing to the size of the skier’s tracks. Designed in Kevlar carbon to be ultra light, it has incredible stability on slopes. Made by Plasmor
The proposed circuits
He has managed to offer a full range of travel ranging from week expedition raids
- Texas Bar Circuit all north of Spitsbergen: 180 km (4 expeditions)
- The west side from Ny Alesund to Longyearbyen
- Horn Sund The southernmost fjord of Spitsbergen at a base camp near the Svea glacier.
Facing one of the most active glaciers in Spitsbergen, the relief here allows for long hikes on the ridges above the ice.
All this with the optimum comfort of a base camp.
2003
He was responsible for a handicap sports expedition organized in Spitsbergen under the aegis of the French Federation of Handisport.
2004
He will take a team of journalists to Spitsbergen to test new Gore-Tex equipment in real conditions.
He surrounded himself with a team of guides.
For 20 years, he instructed the future Tours Leader of his trips. This experience allowed him to develop an incomparable know-how in the field training of guides.