ILIRA EXPEDITIONS
Ilira is an Inuktitut word describing that nervous feeling of awe and wonder when encountering something truly majestic in nature — like a polar bear, a towering iceberg, or a raging snowstorm.
At Ilira Expeditions, we strive to create these powerful moments in a safe way — with expert guidance, solid equipment, and deep knowledge of the Arctic. Every expedition is carefully planned to explore pristine, exciting, and remote routes, drawing on long experience in Arctic travel.
Who are we?
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Bård Karlsen
Bård moved to Longyearbyen in 2014 and has since worked extensively with guiding, logistics, and safety operations in the Svalbard wilderness.
He has guided numerous long-distance expeditions on Spitsbergen by skis and led many trips on snowmobile, dog sled, kayak, and RIB boat.
Bård has led a ski expedition across the Greenland Ice Sheet, traveled more than 3,500 kilometers through Canada’s Arctic by canoe, and completed Norway from south to north on foot. He has also crossed Spitsbergen from south to north twice on skis and paddled around the entire island of Spitsbergen by sea kayak.
Bård holds a degree in Outdoor Education from the University College of Sogn og Fjordane and is a certified Arctic Nature Guide from UiT – The Arctic University of Norway.
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Kristoffer Eide
Kristoffer had his first encounter with Svalbard in the winter of 2017, working as a caretaker at Isfjord Radio, a remote wilderness hotel.
The following year, he spent more than eight months there, and some of the first trips he guided went to a nearby walrus colony.
Since then, Kristoffer has led numerous expeditions in the High Arctic. In 2025, he guided one of the most demanding ski expeditions on Svalbard — a 35-day journey from Sørneset to Magdalenefjorden in the northwest. He has also guided expeditions across Spitsbergen, as well as several long journeys in both southern Spitsbergen and the northwestern part of the archipelago. In addition, he guided ski expeditions across the Greenland Ice Sheet in both 2024 and 2025.
Several summers have been spent on the Nordic Arctic with canoe and dog, as well as a Norway-crossing expedition starting in Femundsmarka.
In 2023, Kristoffer completed his longest journey to date: a 1,700 km canoe expedition through large parts of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada. The expedition was carried out together with Bård Karlsen and laid the foundation for their ongoing collaboration.
Today, Kristoffer lives on a small farm in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway, together with his partner and two huskies.
Kristoffer has completed advanced glacier training and is a certified Wilderness First Responder.
