TERMS & CONDITIONS

INSURANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY

Pudderpikken Arctic Adventures focusing on safety and want all tours to be as safe as possible, but can not secure every step each participant will take during a trip.

It is therefore necessary that each participant who is on tour with Pudderpiken Arctic Adventures is covered with his own insurance policy. Parents and other superiors who guarantee for children, have to make sure that everyone in their company is in physical shape to participate in the chosen activity.

Each participant is obliged to follow the guides instructions at all times.

CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS

Pudderpiken Artic Adventures normaly not cancel an activity due to weather conditions, but sometimes it is necessarily, and I do take your safety and well being serious. If I have to cancel a trip due weather, broken vehicle, illness ect, you`ll of cource get a full refund.

I can not be held responsible for any other expence, as flight tickets ect that you have had in connection with this tour.

In case of cancellation, you will be notified as early as possible. Please regulary check your email or phone prior to the tour depature, and especially if weather conditions are challening.

If you cancel 72hours (3 days) before the tour`s date, you are entitled to a full refunded. If cancellations 24 hours (1 day) before you get 50% refunded. You get no refund if it is less than 12 hours before.

In order to get refunded, all cancellations must be provided in written form (by e-mail to hege@pudderpiken.no) and apply from the date Pudderpiken has received written notification of the cancellation. Pleace let me know as soon as possible if you are unable to join the tour, if i find somebody to take your seat, I might be able to give you a particial refound. I can not give refound becouse of low solar activity on the Northern Lights hiking tours, meaning less chance to see the aurora.

Trips can be canceled on short notice due to above mentioned causes. I will do my best to get you on the same or equivalent trip as soon as possible. It is therefore important that your contact information is correct and updated also I can get a hold on you.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

In order to take care of safety on the tours, both winter and summer, I have maximum 4 guest on each outdoor activity.

It is my responsibility to see that everyone in the group is sufficiently equipped and is in condition to participate on the adventure. If I, for some reason, should deem someone unfit to participate (due to alcohol, appropriate clothing, illness, healt ect) I`m responsible to deny this person participation. In such cases there is no refund, but I will work with you to find a suitable solution.

Us of alcohol and drugs is not allowed in the car and on the tours.

I DO NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR PRIVATE EQUIPMENT

I can not take responsibility for your personal equipment, as camera, jackets, mittens, bags ect. Make sure this is covered through your travelers insurance.

Make sure you keep your equipment dry, on your body or in the backpack. Cameras tend not being brought in and out of different temperature environments during the winter.

Also, if we have bonfires on the trip, sometimes sparks can burn small holes in jackets and pants. Consider this as a free memory from the arctic wilderness, or bring a jacket that is brought for this purpose.

COPYRIGHT

All pictures and texts displayed on this webpage is protected by copyright law and should not be used without consent by Pudderpiken Arctic Adventures Hege Nilsen.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE / HOW TO DRESS/CLOTHING

The climate in the Tromsø area are normaly not that harsh, but the weather can change pretty fast. Dress in layers, wool on the body, a middle layer (wool sweater, thin down jacket ect), and as an out layer you should at least always bring whit you a thin water and windproof jacket.

Windproof pants are recomended, as well as the shoes that are made for walking on potentially wet and uneven grounds.

During the winter mittens and cap is mandatory to bring along.

Wool will stay warm even when wet, andis a natural and sustainable product that I recommended. If you need any further information, contact me.

At Pudderpiken Arctic Adventures I dont have any clothes for rent or loan at the moment.

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

The Northers lights/aurora brings thousand of guests to Tromsø each year. As one of the best places in the world to see this spectacle we are fortunate to have both an international size airport, and ice free harbour during the winter, and a lot of roads. Right now we can`t seem to have enough places for the guest to sleep, even thougt most dont.

The Northern lights orginate in a complicated interplay between the so called solar wind and the earth`s magnetic field and together whit particles which orginate in the earths atmosphere, end up in the tail on the magnetic field on the night side. The spectral lines reflect which gases are found up in the atmosphere - oxygen and nitrogen.

Since the Northern lights happen far above cloud, and is dependent on solar activity it is difficult to predict when and where it will appear. During the winter time we normaly get to see auroras every other day on average, but climate change is making the arctic climate both more wet and milder, and more clouds.

You can read more about athe Northern Lights at http://geo.phys.uit.no/articl/theaurora.html

HOW TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

Photograping the aurora is not that difficult, but there are a couple of thinks to considere, and there are some different opinions on how to do it. It also helps to practice before you head out, everything is a bit more difficult in minus degrees and darkness.

First of all you need a tripod, ore somewhere to place your camera to make it stand still (snow, car, rock ect). You will be doing long exposures and the camera needs to be in one place. You also need a camera whit the possibility to do manual mode (M), this is where you can change all the three variables on the camera - ISO, aperture and the shutter speed.

I recommend starter settings usually 5sek (5») exposure, ISO 800 and aperture to the lowest number - somewhere between 1,4 - 5 depending on your lens. These variables need to be changes as the Northern Lights change, but usually never over 10», or ISO 2000. Going further will either give you star streaks and/or noise. This is of course also dependent on your camera, where smaller the sensor, the more the settings need ato be pushed. A wide lens (e.g 12-18mm) is nice as it captures the landscape and the sky, and you can go on longer shutter speeds whitout getting «long» stars.

Last it is important to be careful whit the focus, and this is probably where most pictures are ruined. Find a light somewhere  (a house, the moon, the guides headlamps) focus in auto (AF) and than turn your focus to manual (MF).

THE MIDNIGHT SUN

The midnight sun appears above the arctic circle between May and Aygust. Light 24/7 can be both beautiful and a hassle when you try to sleep.

You will experience a lot of people out all night fishing, hiking and photograping.

Staying outdoors on these light summer nights when sitting by a bonfire ia as close to meditation as you can get.