This study evaluates Arctic-wide sea surface height observations by the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission by comparing them with laser altimetry and radar imagery. Using data from over 550 crossovers, the analysis shows good agreement, with mean absolute water differences of around 5 cm, but also larger discrepancies during winter and early melt. These results illustrate both the potential but also arising problem areas of swath altimetry in the polar regions.