Contrary to what you may think there is little or no snow in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen in the summer time. Snow will gradually slow from May and start again in October so during the summer months of 24/7 sunlight the sled is swapped for wheels. I honestly think this is one of the best adventure experiences you could experience either pre or post your Arctic expedition.
The dog sleighing lasts for a morning or afternoon and start at one of the local dog compounds of which there are many. The dogs are a cross between the Greenland Husky with a local breed which originates in Alaska and are known as Alaska Huskeys. They are very well looked after and loved by the dedicated dog handlers at these compounds. They are well exercised and then well rested, fed, watered and tended to. If you are dog lover and know dogs you can see that they get very excited about the possibility of going out for a run and could be out on three runs per day for one week then completely rested for the following week. They also breed dogs very selectively and at any time they will have puppies in the compounds being looked after by their dedicated mothers in a separate pen. There were four puppies whilst we were there two of them with bright blue eyes you sometimes find in this amazing breed. They are outside dogs but do have their own hutch and feeding area but really flourish in the extreme cold of the winter months. Sometimes in the summer when the sun is shining and the temp reaches around 10 degrees they get hot easily and required a couple of water stops on each run.
If you are visiting Svalbard do not miss this adventure and an opportunity to spend time with real Arctic dogs. After the sled ride we had time to see the recent puppies and play with the dogs.
Find out more about Dog Sledding holidays in the high arctic
