After living in Longyearbyen, Nellie found herself, as many before her, bitten by the polar bug. She is the third generation of her family to be enamored by Svalbard: her grandfather worked as a coal miner and her father worked as an electrician in Longyearbyen.
Although their family tree is deeply rooted in the Arctic, this trio of smitten people all agreed that it was “not Arctic enough,” and so Nellie became a polar guide in 2022 in an endeavor to enjoy as much of the higher latitudes as possible.
Nellie holds a master’s degree in Biodiversity and Systematics and, while attempting a land-bound life, worked in a herbarium with DNA analysis, climate research, national park monitoring, and ecological fieldwork across a variety of projects.
Earning experience, memories, and no shortage of wildlife encounters with animals both large and small, she has found a true home surrounded by extreme climates and grand glaciers in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Her favourite sound is freshly broken ice crackling faintly in the water, and when conditions permit, she loves introducing that sound to her polar guests.
