We raced across the island on snowmobiles to Agardhbukta, a small bay on the east coast of Svalbard named after the renowned Swedish botanist Jacob Georg Agardh, where we would begin our adventure.

It was a gloomy morning, with dark brooding clouds looming overhead and bitter winds rolling in from the Barents Sea. The landscape was otherworldly, it felt like we had just landed on another planet.

With the team full of nervous excitement and eager to get the adventure underway, we clipped on our skis and pulks and set off across the sea ice with naive enthusiasm. It was an uncomfortable few hours with the freezing sea breeze chilling us to the bone. However, we were determined to press on, and get away from the sea ice, the favoured hunting ground for polar bears, the kings of the Arctic.

Led by Norwegian explorer Kjell Erik who, at a formidable six feet seven inches in height, was like a towering Viking, we eventually found a sheltered spot to make camp. I had a sleepless first night with an Arctic storm raging outside our tent and a nagging concern that a hungry polar bear might be lurking around the corner.

OutdoorGB have teamed up with suppliers such as Berghaus, Salomon, Suunto, Exped, Sealskinz and Helly Hansen to provide Louis with cutting edge, high performance equipment.