EXPEDITION OVERVIEW
The Lyngen Alps of northeastern Norway is world renown as a skier’s paradise with huge lines that plunge all of the way down to the fjords. Starting in Tromso (TOS), we will travel about two hours east by van to a well-appointed ski house which will be our base of operations.
Located high above the Arctic Circle at 69° north, the Lyngen Alps share many similarities with the famed Valdez skiing in Alaska. Being right on the water, both of them have a relatively stable Maritime snowpack which enables snow to stick to steep faces. But, unlike other Maritime areas, the far northern latitudes mean colder temperatures and thus colder snow instead of Sierra Cement or Cascade Concrete. Lyngen’s highest point is a mere 6,014’ but the monstrous runs go all the way down to the water.
The mountains offer up an endless variety of skiing from mellow powder runs to couloirs, long tours, peaks, glaciers and wide open faces. There is some crevassing and at times we may ski with harnesses, but it is rare to travel roped up as there are many safe options available. Most days involve driving anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to reach the trailheads. A big part of this is due to the fjords, where a mountain might only be 2 miles away, but you have to drive 50 miles around the head of the fjord to get there.
The trip is based out of a quiet little town named Lakselvbukt which sees very little skier traffic. There are two other major ski touring operations in the Lyngen Alps, but they are hours away. Finland is about 90 minutes away to the east and has some skiable mountains right on the border.