1998 was the year of the International YL Polarmeet in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. 51 YLs (plus friends and OMs) from 14 countries gathered in friendship and to experience in 24 hour daylight the wild, unspoiled arctic nature not far from the North Pole. 7 ALARA members attended but I was the only one from Down Under. We operated as JW0YL from the local radio shack and, again, I was able to keep a sked back to Melbourne.

We were given a guided tour of Longyearbyen (duty free shopping) and taken by boat up the Isfjord to visit the Russian coal mining settlement of Barentsburg, then on to a nearby glacier where we drank whiskey on the rocks using 10,000 year old ice, which was a distinct improvement on the drink the Russians had given us at lunchtime! Ruth, LA6ZH, and I took off in a helicopter to see a glacier at close range whilst others went fossil hunting, kayaking, glacier walking and shopping.

Soon it was back south again, my 6th crossing of the Arctic Circle, to the lush green valleys and fjords of southern Norway. Turid, LA9THA, accompanied me on a trip on the Telemark Canal with its many locks, then took me down the local fjord on her sailboat, Makin. Unni, LA6RHA, and Ingrid LA-SWL, took me across Norway to the little town of Morokulien on the border of Norway and Sweden where I was able to operate as LG5LG and SJ9WL, again getting back to Melbourne for a sked.

ALARA members at Svalbard	Radio Shack	JW/DYL
Isfjord	Ruth and Helicopter	Glacier from Helicopter
DYL - Longyearbyen	At the helm of the Maken	Border of Norway and Sweden
Whiskey on the rocks		Southern Norway