The view of Adventfjorden just off the main road in Longyearbyen became ‘my own Svalbard view’ from the very first time I glimpsed it, and it was truly mesmerising. So I kept going back to it.

I loved every second of sun and clear skies I was so lucky to have in Svalbard. But there was something about the snow that morning: something special, something I can’t explain.

A one-day boat tour down Billefjorden, north of Longyearbyen, through Sassenfjorden, toward Pyramiden; a walk on the fjord ice; wildlife sightings; our guide Hans.

25 April 2023 was the happiest day of my life. When the polar bear materialised before us on the rocky slope, I remember thinking just that.

Sea ice is life. It’s our life, it’s everyone’s lives.