November. Most years, it’s my least favourite month (you too?), though I know it’s wrong to judge. This year I’m looking for the positives. There are at least two sides to November. It’s the eleventh month when the darkness comes so fast, and the clock jumps back to leave you drinking afternoon tea in the…
In the 1980s and 1990s, Longyearbyen evolved from a company town, which was expensive to maintain, into a community that also relies on tourism and a university campus. In 2015, the coal company employed almost 500 people on the island of Spitsbergen…
Our Arctic Deeply story about Longyearbyen’s men’s choir has been picked up by The World Post , a partnership of The Huffington Post and the Berggruen Institute. Same story, different title: “A Unique Norwegian Choir Is United By Coal As Mining Industry Suffers.”
Meet the North’s series with Arctic Deeply has begun. The first segment is called “When Coal Leaves Center Stage in Longyearbyen” Have a read – discover the singers and miners who keep Svalbard going. It was below freezing inside the derelict mining building that looked down over Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Coal dust powdered the wooden floor….
Remembering: Warmth and welcome under the votive ship of the Svalbard Kirke. Leif Magne Helgesen shows us around his chosen home at 78 degrees north. Photo Eric Guth
Remembering: This is how you remove the coal from the mountain. It’s like fishbones. Tunnel your way in along the spine and pick the ribs all the way out. Dark. Strong. Bent double. Part of the history – unsure of the future. Welcome to Norwegian coal mining at 78 degrees north, Svalbard style. Photo Eric…
The day a stroll uphill from Longyearbyen turned into a five hour mission complete with route finding, reindeer sightings, boot skiing, dovekies calling, and broccoli sandwiches. Photo Eric Guth
(Post 1 of 6) Elisabeth Larsen led Eric and I to one of the most magical musical experiences we’ve ever had, and we met her outside the office of the local coal mining company, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani. Longyearbyen is home to the only coal-burning power plant in Norway. It’s just outside Elisabeth’s office. The…
(Post 2 of 6) Look at these happy gents and welcome to the Store Norske Mandskor’s annual concert. This is the local men’s choir, named after the mining company, and Eric and I have rarely seen such a combination of skill and heart, and it left me bursting with joy From stirring harmonies about mining…
(Post 3 of 6) Meet Espen Rotevatn – conductor, music teacher, former church organist and the leader of the newly established Green Party on Svalbard. He’s wearing a few layers because the show took place in an abandoned and unheated mine building that you can see from everywhere in town. Espen opposes mining, but he…