The terrace at the foot of the slope behind Huset was used as a ski-jump in the old days. The ski jump, called “Svalbardkollen”, is on a so-called rock glacier which is a common landscape feature around Longyearbyen. Rock glaciers form in permafrost-areas. Meltwater percolating in between the rocks will accordingly freeze at a certain depth and remain frozen for a long time, filling the cavities of the scree completely and thus decreasing the internal friction of the resulting rock-ice-body. The whole mixture can deform under the influence of gravitation
Rock glacier with ski jump
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