Nordenskiöld Lodge opens for winter season
For Brita and Trond, it is a value choice to spend a few weeks as hosts at the cabin where they melt ice from the glacier and wash the dishes by hand. A choice that involves silence and physical work with a simpler life close to guests and nature.
– In small companies like ours, all employees are prepared to help when needed. Including me. The role of host at our cabin at Nordenskiöldbreen in Svalbard is demanding physical work, but I get close to the guests and the experiences. An advantage for a good understanding of how they experience nature and the trips with us, says Brita Knutsen Dahl, working chairman of Basecamp Explorer Spitsbergen.
Nordenskiöld Lodge is located far off the beaten track, guests arrive here by snowmobile in winter and by boat in summer. The cabin has some electricity from a solar system, but without running water, Brita and partner Trond Hilde have to fetch ice from the glacier and fire well in the wood stove for heat.
– We are finally starting the winter season out here. There have been some challenges with a lot of rough weather, but last week the first guests arrived. We only have eight beds for visitors, so a stay out here are close and special encounters between people and wilderness, says Brita.
– We run the cabin as a mini-hotel with two to eight guests who always arrive with an experienced Basecamp guide. Here, guests will find made-up beds, a steaming hot sauna and a multi-course dinner.
It is the second year that Brita and Trond have been winter hosts at the cabin in the heart of Adolfbukta.
– Between the visits, we take some real summit trips on skis. The best activity for charging batteries and thinking strategic thoughts, says both Brita and Trond.
– We have a good mix between Norwegian and international guests, and we are pleased to convey the history and nature of the Arctic so close to glaciers, majestic mountains and frozen fjords. We feel that the respect and understanding for Svalbard’s unique culture and habitat is established in the guests. Yes, we deliver trips in the spirit of expedition, with plenty of comfort and coziness, but we are also mediators. Something I believe is important as a commercial player in Svalbard, concludes Brita Knutsen Dahl.
Fancy a particularly great cabin tour? More about Nordenskiöld Lodge here.