From an ice-cold sea with biting winds to sun-drenched mountain peaks. The Swedemounts team embarked on an expedition in the mythical and picturesque Svalbard through the growing travel concept of Sail and Ski, to test this year's ski and sailing collection. It is a growing concept in Northern Norway that combines the best of two worlds - skiing and sailing during the same trip. The goal was to test a selection of garments from this year's ski and sail collection in the extreme environment that Svalbard offers.

The scenic Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard was discovered in 1596 by the Dutch explorer Willem Barents. The archipelago offers everything from high mountain peaks to vast landscapes, with polar nights from October to February and midnight sun from April to August, making it a paradise of contrasts.

However, you don't need to travel to the other side of the world to find a really tough testing lab. In May 2017, a team from Swedemount traveled to Svalbard to sail and explore the isolated island realm in the middle of the Arctic Ocean for five days. An excursion where most things in the environment are trying to kill you. Besides tough weather, Svalbard is inhabited by around 3,000 polar bears, the world's largest population, and according to the law, one must carry a weapon if walking just a few hundred meters outside the populated area. In order to move freely on the island and test the clothing and equipment, the expedition was escorted by two armed guides.