Max Ballari
Max Ballari is expedition manager at Basecamp Explorer Spitsbergen.
Contrasts – from open fjords and endless tundra to narrow gorges and tight ice caves. Max leads all our activities in the arctic nature, but he is also an enthusiastic user of the kingdom of contrasts, Svalbard. And precisely the contrasts are one of the things he values most when he is on trips with our guests or girl friend, friends and the dogs Arok (eight years, Siberian husky) and Binna (three years, Alaskan husky).
– I came to Svalbard to study arctic outdoor life and nature guiding (ANG), and quickly became engrossed in working as a guide, explains Max.
Max was born in Sweden, but grew up in Norway, where he has, among other things, been a paramedic, gunner and team leader in the task force of the Home Guard. He has now lived on Svalbard for five years, and has built up solid experience as a guide through all the arctic seasons. Important knowledge to have when he has to lead both employees and guests through fascinating expedition adventures.
– The incredible contrasts on Svalbard place demands on people’s encounters with nature. We become small in all the mightyness, but with respect for the surroundings, we get experiences that no other place can offer. It’s fantastic to whiz across the plains with a scooter in the winter, or to be close to sea life in a boat in the summer. But it is probably the light of spring and autumn that touches me most deeply. When the horizon burns in the rawest sunrises and sunsets, and the light bathes Svalbard in pastel, then it’s good to be Max.