Dominated by snow-capped peaks and surrounded by crystal-clear waters, Lyngen is an excellent destination to experience summit-to-sea ski touring. Skilled local guides can help you plan a tour tailer to your level of experience.
Ski touring in Lyngen
“The unique thing about Lyngen is the sea-to-summit experience.”
Henrik Solberg
Ski touring guide, Manndalen Sjøbuer
“You can literally start at sea level and go all the way to the mountain tops. And when you ski down, you ski with a sea view.”
Ski touring from autumn to spring
"Because of its location far north, Lyngen often has great snow conditions, and the ski season is long," says local ski touring guide Henrik Solberg.
Lyngen is located on 70 degrees north in Northern Norway, and the Alpine peninsula, the Lyngen alps, has a reputation as one of Norway's best ski touring destinations – largely thanks to its long ski season, lasting from February to late May, and a dramatic mountain and fjord landscape.
"Lyngen has its own logic. Sitting right on the coast, the mountains are shaped by different weather systems coming in from all directions, and the snowpacks reflect this. On a single peak, you can find wildly different conditions within a few hundred metres. You need to know what you're looking at and how to read the mountains," Solberg explains.
Lyngen is a ski touring paradise, but the area is also prone to avalanches, with accidents happening almost every year. Both local knowledge and knowledge about avalache safety is key to have a good experience in the area. Foreign visitors make up a disproportionately large share of avalanche accidents in the Norwegian mountains.
Safety in the mountains
Solberg explains that dangerous situations in the mountains, especially when it comes to avalanches, are often connected to lack of knowledge or people's willingness to take risks.
"Considering how many people actually roam the mountains of Lyngen, there are actually very few accidents. There has been a huge focus on safety and knowledge sharing in recent years, which is great," Solberg explains.
Knowledge sharing is caring
Several steps have been taken in recent years to ensure that skiing in the Lyngen mountains is as safe as possible.
One of those measures is digital meetings for all certified guides in the region. In these daily meetings, the guides share the latest news about snow conditions and avalanche warnings in the areas where they have been touring. The goal of the meetings is to make sure that all the guides have the latest updates on what to expect for their next guided trip. The summary of these meetings are also shared on Varsom.no and are available to all. You can read more about Varsom below!
The municipalities Tromsø, Balsfjord and Lyngen are also in the process of establishing a brand new National Avalanche Center in Lyngen.
Avalanche safety app
Varsom.no is an avalanche forecast site which is highly reccomended that you use before planning a ski trip. In the Varsom app you can share and access information about local conditions and dowload offline maps.
Also, read more about safety in the winter mountains.
Guided ski touring
If you haven't tried ski touring before, or if you are going ski touring in a new area, it's always recommended that you go with a certified guide. The guides have local knowledge about the mountains and terrains, and they are trained to look for signs of avalanche danger.
"A guided ski touring trip is suitable for people with basic ski knowledge, for example if you have tried cross-country skiing and some downhill before. And guides will often adjust the tours according ti the group's skill and fitness level," says Solberg. He adds that you should also consider that you need to be somewhat physically fit to be able to hike in these mountains.
Explore the area
The Lyngen alps are the most famous ski touring mountains in the region, but from Lyngen, you can also do ski touring detours to other cool areas: Take a tour to Tamok Valley, a terrain with fantastic inland skiing possibilities, dominated by rounded peaks, long couloirs and big open faces. The cold inland climate guarantees a longer skiing season and increased chances of powder snow.
Another option in Lyngen is sail to ski. Using a traditional sailboat or former fishing trawler as your comfortable base, local mountain guides will locate the best possible conditions for a skiing expedition.
Well connected by road, Lyngen is only a two-hour drive from the town of Tromsø. Choose from a full range of accommodation options – from full-service, high-quality hotels to authentic Norwegian cabins.
Places to stay and meet
Find a place to stay while ski touring in the Lyngenfjord region.
Getting here and around
Get in-depth travel information for Lyngen at Lyngenfjord’s official website.
By bus
Long-distance buses connect Tromsø with Alta, Narvik, Bodø, and Fauske all year around. If you’re going to the Lofoten Islands, transfer in Narvik.
By road
There are daily bus departures from Tromsø and Alta to Lyngen, Skibotn, and further north to Olderdalen, Skjervøy, Sørkjosen, and Storslett.
Local public transport requires planning as departures are limited. Find more information and timetables on Lyngenfjord’s official website.
You can rent a car in Tromsø. Find detailed route descriptions on Lyngenfjord’s official website.
By plane
The closest major airports are Tromsø Airport and Alta Airport.
Smaller airports in the area include Bardufoss Airport and Sørkjosen Airport.
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By boat
The Norwegian Coastal Express (Hurtigruten) calls at Skjervøy on its route between Bergen and Kirkenes.
There is an express boat service from Tromsø to Skjervøy, which also calls at Nord-Lenangen and Arnøya island.
Local travel
Tromsø has an extensive local bus and ferry network.
Get inspired
Let the ski touring adventure begin
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