In Norway, the land of the midnight sun, you may experience a secret land where jagged peaks rise out of shimmering peaks and skiing is epic. With up to 2,000 m of free-skiing straight down to the blue sea, the adventurous ski tourer may skin from beach to summit under the midnight sun. Whatever you chose, Northern Lights skiing or Midnight Sun skiing in Norway, it’s a breathtaking experience.
The Lyngen Alps in Northern Norway are world famous for its magnificent scenery, northern lights and midnight sun. The skiing from mountain to the fjords in Lyngen is a once in a lifetime experience and a must for ski tour enthusiasts from all over the world. Intrepid skiers land on black-sand beaches.
Dramatically different from the European Alps
Norwegian costal skiing dramatically differs from its counterpart in the European Alps. Not to mention snowpack stability. The Lyngen peninsula is situated in northern part of Troms county. It is the largest alpine mountain area in Norway, and do also probably have the highest density of steep alpine peaks. It is situated at 69 degrees north.
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The shape and style of the mountains is like the top 1500m of the main continental European alps, but with it being 3000m lower there’s more oxygen to breath. You can feel like a superman whilst charging up slopes which would knacker you at 4000m.
Northern Lights and Midnight Sun Skiing in Norway
You can start skiing at the shoreline during parts of the spring season, and climb summits with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Dining on fjord-fresh seafood or reindeer steaks in a cozy cabin or luxury yacht rounds off a perfect day.
Then there’s the light, haunting and majestic. From November until the end of January, the sun doesn’t rise, and the land is bathed in blue and violet before the northern lights put on their shape-shifting show. After May 16 the sun never sets. Ski touring season runs from March until late May, when it’s possible to ski under the midnight sun.
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A multitude of options
The higher parts of Lyngen are covered with glaciers, there are good skiing conditions on these. The highest peak in Lyngen are Jiekkevarri (1833m), which is covered by an ice cap. The region also includes the mountains on the east side of the Lyngen fjord, in Kåfjord, as well as the islands to the northeast and north west. In the south the mountains are still big, but the valleys are wider and the summits are not so steep.
It’s pure wilderness. Lyngen is an amazing, largely undiscovered (by the masses), beautiful skiing wilderness with challenging ascents and descents, scenery like nowhere else on earth, no ski lifts, and very few tourists. The shore lines of the many fiords and the most perfect ski lines anywhere. There are no lifts or resort infrastructure, and ski touring is the name of the game – an endless playground that is famous for late spring skiing with top snow conditions, peaks towering high above.
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Skiing by charter yacht
When you set off for the day it’s quite likely you won’t see another soul until you get back to the road. Some of the peaks, particularly in the northern Lyngen Alps, are reachable only by boat.
You can join a multiday charter yacht outfitted for ski trips, where participants will explore myriad mountains, fjords and islands, such as Stjerneoya (Star Island), with its cockscomb of deep bays and stunning peaks.
Accomodation
In Lyngen area there are several rental cabins, hotels and boats. The local hub is Lyngseidet, which has several shops, a few restaurants, a few hotels and cabin rentals. If you want to organize your own accommodation, you need to book well in advance, as the most popular places get booked early. We recommend you to stay as close as possible to the attendance point to get the most out of the day.
On the banks of the Lyngenfjord, near the village of Djupvik two-and-a-half hours’ drive from Tromso, sits Lyngen Lodge, a boutique hotel in the middle of this winter wonderland.
Lofoten Ski Lodge sits right above the water on an inlet on the south side of the islands near Svolvær.
The ski touring options south of Lyngen is also great, and recently the island Senja has risen to fame. It is situated south of the county capital of Tromsø. It resembles Lyngen by having steep and very alpine peaks, but they are somewhat smaller.
If you already have been to Lyngen and want to explore new areas, the area around Tromsø offer some good skiing, such as the island Kvaløya, with the peaks of Hollenderan, Skittentind and Storstolpan, which is part of the skyline when looking westward from Tromsø Airport.
Guidebook
Ski Touring in Troms is Espen Nordahl’s masterpiece guide-book for the Troms area of Arctic Norway. Covering 116 peaks the zones of Malangen, Kvaloya, Ringvassoya, Mainland Tromso, Balsfjord, Tamokdalen, the Lyngen Alps, the Kafjord Alps and Uloya. The new and updated edition of Ski Touring in Troms also features routes on the island of Senja.
If you are looking for guided tours, just Google “ski touring in Lyngen” and you’ll quickly find several operators offering guided tours in Lyngen.
Getting there
It is easy to get to Tromsø city by air from cities such as Bergen and Oslo (Gardermoen). However, it is an advantage having a car to reach the mountains. All the big car rental companies have offices in Tromsø.
Northern Lights and Midnight Sun Skiing in Norway, compiled by Tor Kjolberg