put the wooden triangluar end in your shoulder,,,, have the hollow pointy end pointing at the polar bear attacking you, make sure you put the brass coloured bullet pointy thing in the gun first of course, pointy bit forward, press the button on the side that says "safety" down... and squeeze the curly thing called a trigger with your index finger gently....BANG.... scared bear (cos u wont hit it) and sore shoulder to you as well as ear ache... some smoke... and then you'll throw the gun at the bear and run....

You need lessons (5 to 10) .... or you will be bear food. trust me, never try and use a gun until youre completely comfortable with it.

a local gun club will help.

Hi charlie,

Thanks for the tips... it is indeed what I am afraid of! do you know any of the local gun clubs? I had a look around but couldn't really find any...

cheers

Steph

sorry mate...gave up "bang sticks" when i left the army.. shouldnt be too hard,, it is switzerland afterall, and most locals have a rifle at home

Steph, 

Just tell them you know how to use a gun, and leave it at that. 

Charlie is right 100%: unless you really know how to use a gun, you're more likely to hurt yourself than to hurt the bear.

Nir

Hi Steph,

Take a look at:
http://www.stv-versoix.ch/

i think there is a shooting range in town too, but don't remember its name

Looks pretty easy...

Hi steph I went to Spitzbergen last year in September ... I can't describe how amazing it is up there, really the scenery is indescribable ! But I have to tell you a few things, because you seem to be planning wrongly.

For a first trip and because you have never been to Spitzbergen I don't think its a good idea to go venturing out of town by yourself.

Its dangerous and it will make things over complicated for you … to much to organize. P.S I went to Spitzbergen in September even then it was ******* cold. I don't think you can venture very far out of town on you're own and its pointless because you will have to return soon so you won't see much of interest. The locals seem a bit cold … and I don't think you can convince one to take you out. You need a guide or go on a guided tour for a few days( Then the trip is worth it !!!! ). In any case the best areas of Spitzbergen can take quiet a few days to get to.

You can't imagine how dangerous polar bears are ... My guide even saw some cases of cannibalism and showed us very raw pictures . Basically you're at risk when you step out of town. They can be anywhere. Even the kinder garden in town is surrounded by a high fence. You have to be very accurate to shoot a polar bear, since there skull are so strong they can make a bullet ricochet( I'm serious). They actually give you a guide on how to shoot them at the tourism office. They sneak up behind you so you can't see them coming. But if you shoot a polar bear there is going to be an investigation, you might be taken to court, if they think you put yourself into a dangerous situation unnecessarily and for that reason a protected polar had to be shoot … If you take a guide it will be his responsibility not yours =). The Locals shoot flars to scare the polar(s) bear first and then shoot them in last resort ( if they can !!) they had a few accidents in the last few years … how about the weather ? If you have an accident you'll be in be trouble..... I go to a shooting range quiet often Its easy to miss the target =)

One thing is you don't want to stick around in the town of Longyearbyen ... two days in Longyearbyen is really enough not only because you will get bored but the food costs too much ! That town made me think of a small skiing resort. The town of Barenstburg is pretty much dead but of course it is worth visiting .... 

One thing I can recommend you is to get Rolf Stange( he was my guide on a sailling trip ) book, everything you need to know is in that book !!! Look at his website and pictures (sv noorderlicht)

http://www.spitzbergen.de/HTML-Dateien/E_Index.htm

So Last year I went to spitzbergen, spent a few days in longyearbyen and then did the sailing trip around the south of the island ( no icebergs in september so need for an icebreaker). Since the cost for a trip on an icebreaker is out of reach, I suggest you do the sailing. The vessel I did my trip with is called the sv noorderlicht, check out the website for pictures, accounts of adventures and bookings.

http://www.noorderlicht.nu/index.php?lang=english

Look out on the internet for other kind of things to do in Spitzbergen …

In any case don't go to spitzbergen just to stay close to Longyearbyen its not worth it. You can ask me a few questions by pm if you like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IIeou9-dYE

polar bears = most dangerous animal on the planet...thats true, and theyre one scarey hairy bear, do dah do dah, Yogi had a furry friend, doo dah do dah day... etc..but its rude

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the messages! the youtube clip definitely made me reconsider the whole venture!  Thanks James for all the info about Svalbard! I will definitely send you a pm in the next few days when I am not so dog tired. With regards to a guide etc, I actually have a friend that works up there who has invited me up, so most of the time I would be out and about with him. Glad that flares are an option, also glad to hear that there are investigations into any incidents with the bears. The last thing that I would want to do is to harm any polar bears or the environment up there, I know I should probably stay at home... but the landscape looks amazing!

Also, point(s) taken! I know that the chances of me actually ever being able to defend myself against a bear are, well... zero, but I want to give myself just enough of a false sense of security that I'm game enough to go up there.

Thanks again for the info.

Cheers

Steph