This article is within the scope of WikiProject Norway, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Norway on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.NorwayWikipedia:WikiProject NorwayTemplate:WikiProject NorwayNorway articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Arctic, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Arctic on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ArcticWikipedia:WikiProject ArcticTemplate:WikiProject ArcticArctic articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Mammals, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of mammal-related subjects on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.MammalsWikipedia:WikiProject MammalsTemplate:WikiProject Mammalsmammal articles
Latest comment: 13 years ago2 comments2 people in discussion
However, information freely available to anyone planning to visit Svalbard, from the [[Sysselmann]]'s (local authority) website <ref>[http://www.sysselmannen.no/hovedEnkel.aspx?m=45609 Notification and Insurance - Governor of Svalbard]</ref>, makes it clear that the risk assessment of any camping trip like this has to be approved by the Sysselman. BSES had been sending trips to the same area since the 1960s, and in recent years these must have been approved by the Sysselmann's office as having acceptable safety procedures, or they would not have been allowed to leave Longyearbyen. BSES usually rents expedition rifles in Longyearbyen, since expedition leaders do not routinely have the qualifications needed to own or transport firearms. To rent a rifle in Longyearbyen you need a police certificate from your home country, and necessary skills in handling a firearm. <ref>[http://www.sysselmannen.no/hovedEnkel.aspx?m=56694&amid=2722686 Renting firearms - Governor of Svalbard]</ref> Rifle training for leaders is more than the minimum done by other institutions; training for expeditioners is similar to the minimum level; again, this is part of the presumably approved risk assessment. Other tourist operations that run camping trips in Svalbard also do not take dogs and do not routinely do night watches: so the "failings" - while evidently they are failings - are well within accepted practice.
I suppose however it is quite possible (for example) that the SPA editor is not an involved party to this specific event but has some familiarity with the general situation on the island. I don't see a link to the contributor's page to leave a note that references the guidelines.FeatherPluma (talk) 19:24, 4 September 2011 (UTC)Reply