Lyngen – Oldervik Ski Mountaineering with Off Piste Performance

The Lyngen Alps (Lyngsalpene)

The mountains here rise up to a maximum of 1800m directly from the sea, with some of the most popular being the likes of Jiekkevarre (1833m) and Store Jægervasstinden (1543m). Some 300km into the Arctic Circle the snow conditions are reliable here, allowing you to ski from the summit to the sea in many cases. Combine this with varied terrain and you have the ideal location for an interesting trip to suit most levels of ski tourer. In April and May there is often the opportunity to ski powder or spring snow as the conditions dictate, allowing you to enjoy both long (or short) days with the long day light hours.

Ski Touring in The Lyngen Alps

Skiing in the Lyngen Alps is a unique experience. The area is most famous for ‘Ski and Sail’ trips by boat. But we prefer to travel by car capitalising on the excellent road network around the fjords of the Troms region. This allows much greater flexibility to make best use of the prevailing weather or simply to make ascents on the different islands that surround the Troms mainland. This trip is based from the small fishing village of Oldervik, 42 km to the east of Tromsø, with stunning views over the water to the Lyngen Peninsula. Here we make use of two traditional Norwegian houses or ‘hytte’, both of which are well appointed and in the heart of the village, close to the sea front, where it’s sometimes possible to buy Cod from the trawler. More importantly the ski touring starts close to the house with the excellent summits of Ullstinden 1078m, Svarthamartinden 864m and Stortuva 1009m within easy reach. Many of the days are shorter in terms of vertical distance than we are used to in the alps, giving plenty of time for another lap or small variations. Later in the season ascents will often be timed to get the best 'spring snow' on sunny aspects, but rarely is there the need for a 5am start in the Arctic Circle.

A trip to the Lyngen Alps and Oldervik in particular would suit most levels of ski tourers. The ability to ski off piste is essential for this area with ascents of 800m-1200m per day being fairly typical. Most days are between 4 and 6 hours long. We ask that you can skin uphill at a rate of 250m per hour. However, the terrain is varied with open slopes, well spaced trees, couloirs and steeper slopes to suit most tastes. The days are also shorter than the european alps allowing us to take a steadier pace and enjoy at least one traditional 'fika' break. Please feel free to get in touch if you would like to discuss any aspect of your ski ability or for advice on your preparation.