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Frank Magazine

The Arctic With an iPhone [FRANK Magazine Preview]

Bill Springer | September 15, 2022



These iPhone photos are only a taste of the Arctic Expedition Adventure that we’re featuring in the upcoming FRANK magazine.

I’ve always known that writing can be hard. And I’ve also known that I was never going to get rich by being a journalist. But, I’ve also experienced some of my greatest joys out in the world in pursuit of a cool story. Now that I’m just back from exploring the high arctic with only a few other guests onboard Nansen Polar Expeditions private expedition ship M/V Villa, I can say from experience that there are few “cooler” places to explore from the deck of a private ship (or sitting in a small, outboard-powered zodiac) than Svalbard in the High Arctic.

The author, Bill Springer, shot this photo of a mother polar bear and her cub with his iPhone from a safe distance away in a zodiac.

And what makes this story even cooler is that it’s only a teaser. The photo essay we’re running in the next print issue of FRANK is going to knock your socks off. All the photos in our FRANK story have been shot by an award-winning photographer who also happens to be one of the co-founders of Nansen Polar Expeditions.

M/V Villa in the Arctic.

M/V Villa may not look like a yacht on the outside. But, she’s ultra-comfortable on the inside. And her amazing crew provides superyacht-level service!

We encountered this very healthy (i.e. plump) polar bear on our first day out.

It’s impossible to really communicate how special it is to be able to see polar bears in the wild. And since there’s no guarantee you’ll see one on any particular expedition, we were super grateful to be able to spend time with this one.

A close encounter with a 2,000-pound walrus is bucket-list material.

What’s better than a close encounter with a 2,000-pound walrus on a remote beach at 79 degrees north latitude? Um, nothing!

An adult polar bear and her cub on a dark beach in the Arctic.
The zodiacs and M/V Villa can be seen in the distance.


And the crazy thing is: my whole Arctic trip started with two nights on land at Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel. It provided an intense introduction to this magical area.

Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel in Svalbard.

It also has a killer solar-powered sauna (the sun does not set in the summer!) that made my quick dip in the frigid ocean even more rejuvenating.


Me, Bill Springer, enjoying the Arctic.

The Arctic is amazing, so be sure to subscribe to FRANK so you can see it in a way that few others have been able to!


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