Reindalen
A valley stretches 38 kilometres across Nordenskiöld Land on Spitsbergen, Svalbard. Its Norwegian name, Reindalen, translates to reindeer valley. Here I drifted through mountains and snowscapes to observe and document the Svalbard reindeer with Samantha P. H. Dwinnell for the Svalbard Reindeer Project.
The Svalbard reindeer is a small subspecies of reindeer native to the islands of Svalbard. The treeless landscape and the fact that they have no natural pretators make it possible to obseve the reindeer with a unique closeness. This particular year, the first big snowfall occured in late September just before we walked out to the valley sinking into knee-deep snow. The reindeer would have to find as much food as possible to prepare for the frozen months ahead.
Special thanks:
Samantha P. H. Dwinnell, Norwegian University of Life Sciences & University Centre in Svalbard