The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) wideswath altimeter is providing unprecedented observations of the ocean surface, enabling characterisation of mesoscale eddies at high latitudes with a resolution fine enough to capture the relevant spatial scales. Eddies are smaller in high latitudes due to the change in the Coriolis parameter. The eddies in these latitudes are, however, important influencing deep-water formation, carbon uptake, and sea-ice melt. The paper shows that the new SWOT satellite enables robust, quantitative eddy detection in polar and subpolar oceans, opening the door to global eddy climatologies in areas previously inaccessible.