Early December. Polar night. In winter in Longyearbyen, the sun hides below the horizon 24/7. I wake up surprisingly rested; my room is completely dark. I glance at my watch, disoriented.

– It’s already after ten! – I said to myself – What a long sleep.

There’s no twilight outside, no characteristic glow, no afterglow, and certainly no sun. I once heard that people sleep more during the polar night. Well, it’s hard to disagree, since I’ve just slept all morning. I’m going to the store to buy something to eat. It’s winter, I’m in the Arctic, so the first thought that comes to mind is to dress warmly. So I put on woolen socks, thermal underwear, warm pants, a fleece jacket, a down jacket, a hat, and gloves. I also need to remember to wear reflective suspenders; without them, I’d be less visible to drivers. The town of Longyearbyen may only have a little over two thousand inhabitants, but the traffic is quite heavy. And because it’s better to be safe than sorry – reflectors are a must. I quickly put together my outfit and, like a Michelin Man, head outside to brave the Arctic winter. It’s immediately obvious I’m not from the locals. The locals are in jeans and “spring” jackets, often without hats, while I’m dressed up for a polar doom.

– It’s really not that cold, – I say to myself. – I should have checked the weather before leaving.

The locals, however, are complaining and impatiently waiting for the snow to fall and the frosts to arrive.

– But wait, have I missed something? It’s probably not so bad that it’s not 30°C below zero.

– Not exactly, – one of the Longyearbyen residents explains to me. – Frost and snow mean snowmobile season. Snowmobile season is all about polar expeditions, and above all, it allows for faster transport of heavy items to remote cabins. In winter, snowmobiles are the most important means of transportation. But snow is bound to fall.

And the snow won’t arrive in earnest until January. The Arctic is a region warming much faster than the rest of the world. Winter in Svalbard is getting shorter, and we can observe the same phenomenon in Europe. No one is surprised anymore by news of closed ski slopes or articles about winter equipment rental companies suddenly expanding their offerings to include bikes, and “white” Christmases are increasingly seen only on television.