 Poster: A snowHead
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Got this one on the bucket list and have a motivated crew. For those that have done them what’s the difference / pros and cons?
Ps not into smelly fish
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Lyngen is probably the best place I have ever been for ski touring...
Rugged terrain, brilliant scenery, variety of accessible routes straight from the road.
The terrain reminds me of Chamonix - steep and relentlessly rugged.
On the downside : I suspect the arctic climate leads to unstable weak layers and challenging avalanche conditions most years.
Lyngen has become something of a "touring-mecca" so popular in March / April. Though there is still plenty space for everyone, especially away from the handful of popular peaks.
I have never been to Lofoten - but would love to go one day. Mountains are little lower and it is coastal - so weather / snow is more variable. However scenery is considered to be the best in Norway. Have thought that Narvik could be a good base if you wanted access to variety of locations (Narvik, Lofoten & Riksgransen) in single trip.
Lyngen and Lofoten are (rightly) the two "honey-pot" for ski touring in northern Scandinavia.
Though there are lots of other options which would be worth considering : Senja, Alta, Tamok, Joutenheim, Romsdahlen etc
Photo : Looking back across to Lyngen Alps from Kafjord
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Haggis_Trap, thanks! Guide necessary or can you DIY it?
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Ps not into smelly fish |
That might rule out Lofoten straight away
@offpisteskiing has done both; I've just done Lofoten. The impression I get is that the skiing in Lofoten is a bit wilder, while Lyngen has bigger but not quite so pointy mountains and maybe a bit more snow. One observation is that in Lofoten the guided groups do tend to stick to a few classic lines/peaks. These are beautiful but the skiing isn't that challenging on a lot of them. The answer of course is to sign up to one of offpisteskiing's trips for access to his little black book. Eg - one day we toured up to this rather lovely north facing couloir. Fresh snow sunshine and we're the only group in there. We could see the next mountain over which is in the guidebook and had several groups on it. The ski for the guidebook peak is pretty meadow skippy, but you do get nice views in fairness
 IMG_1129 by Ian Scorah, on Flickr
Lofoten would also be pretty easy to self-organise and many of the lines start from the side of the road so no need for boats etc
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| @Haggis_Trap, thanks! Guide necessary or can you DIY it? |
So long as you have a guidebook and car then experienced skier like yourself would be fine rolling solo.
For Lyngen itself there is plenty to get at from the road-side (no real need for a boat).
Base yourself near Lyngdseidt village means you can easily head to all sides of the peninsula or across the fjord to Olderdalen on the local ferry.
Having said that - local knowledge / guide can be useful wherever you go!
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Mon 29-03-21 9:06; edited 1 time in total
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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| Have thought that Narvik could be a good base if you wanted access to variety of locations (Narvik, Lofoten & Riksgransen) in single trip. |
We did a couple of days around Narvik on one of our Lofoten trips. Lots to do round there and there are even some lifts to ride. Don't underestimate the distances though - it's a good 2 hour drive to the main skiing bit of Lofoten so not really day trip-able. But if you had a couple of weeks you could go to Narvik and try out the different regions.
Senja does look good based on a few pics I have seen
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^ True - the speed limit in Norway is a strict 50mph. So it takes ages to drive anywhere.
FWIW : My mate lived in Stavanger and got hammered for doing 70mph.
Massive fan (a fixed % of your salary!) and immediate 6-month ban : had to pay to get his van relocated 
Don't speed in Norway!
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BobinCH, you could do worse than contacting Steve Jones who lives up in Leysin.
Steve is British and Swiss mountain guide who has toured from a yacht in northern Norway for many many seasons.
Steve built a chalet in Leysin it is called Lyngen.........a clue perhaps.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Haggis_Trap, yes, I got away with the massive fine. It was almost as big as the weekly booze bill 
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Lyngen if going a little later in the season, Lofoten if a little earlier would be my advice.
Lofoten can also give a bit more choice if the weather is bad. A few times the weather on the islands can be bad but making your way towards Narvik and the weather can be much better. So if you hire a care i think that the Narvik, Lofoten area can offer greater options.
But both certainly worth doing and which every you choose I'm sure it will be great. Feel free to pm any questions as have been i that area a few times.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Good tips. Thanks all. Thinking around May once lifts closed here so perhaps Lyngen is the better choice
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@BobinCH, maybe get your flight into Narvik and play it by ear. Lofoten could be great or it could be hiking time. Pierre the guide was trying to organise a trip to Abisko at the end of April which is in Sweden just over the border from Narvik. Away from the sea but a bit higher. Anyway lots of options around there
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Good tips. Thanks all. Thinking around May once lifts closed here so perhaps Lyngen is the better choice |
May 2022 ?
Can't see Norway rushing to open up post covid. They shut borders to keep a lid on things and as result infection rates remain very low. Think it will be awhile before anyone allowed to travel in or out for tourism.
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You know it makes sense.
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If you’re going in May then I’d definitely head for Lyngen and the wider Troms region. If weather bad on coastal hills then (similar to @yuppie’s comment about Narvik for Lofoten) there are more inland options down in Tamokdalen which is not too far/ long to drive.
We had a few days on Senja and it is amazing but relatively lower hills and a lot more oceanic weather influence. Marked difference in snow quant and qual from around Lyngen area.
Some really great stuff also on Kvaloya, just W of Tromso. I think I saw some Nicolai Schirmer insta videos of couloirs there earlier this winter.
The Friflyt ski touring guidebook (‘115 Arctic Summits’ or similar) is a good starting point although maybe not enough steep stuff for your tastes. There are mountaineering guidebooks too which might be more useful for identifying couloirs. We’ve had very successful unguided trips, armed with the book and a hire car. Avalanche forecast is available in English which is a big help.
@hannahv1711 on insta is great to follow to get a sense of conditions (year round- she gets out a lot).
It is amazing. Looking forward to going back sometime.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| BobinCH wrote: |
| Good tips. Thanks all. Thinking around May once lifts closed here so perhaps Lyngen is the better choice |
May 2022 ?
Can't see Norway rushing to open up post covid. They shut borders to keep a lid on things and as result infection rates remain very low. Think it will be awhile before anyone allowed to travel in or out for tourism. |
Yes 2022. This year staying put in CH and doing Haute Route. Next year hopefully Alaska and PdG in April and looking to organize a trip in May.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Inboard wrote: |
If you’re going in May then I’d definitely head for Lyngen and the wider Troms region. If weather bad on coastal hills then (similar to @yuppie’s comment about Narvik for Lofoten) there are more inland options down in Tamokdalen which is not too far/ long to drive.
We had a few days on Senja and it is amazing but relatively lower hills and a lot more oceanic weather influence. Marked difference in snow quant and qual from around Lyngen area.
Some really great stuff also on Kvaloya, just W of Tromso. I think I saw some Nicolai Schirmer insta videos of couloirs there earlier this winter.
The Friflyt ski touring guidebook (‘115 Arctic Summits’ or similar) is a good starting point although maybe not enough steep stuff for your tastes. There are mountaineering guidebooks too which might be more useful for identifying couloirs. We’ve had very successful unguided trips, armed with the book and a hire car. Avalanche forecast is available in English which is a big help.
@hannahv1711 on insta is great to follow to get a sense of conditions (year round- she gets out a lot).
It is amazing. Looking forward to going back sometime. |
Perfect thanks. Will look back at the Schirmer posts. Would book late, weather forecast dependent, and then play by ear.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've done five trips to Lyngen, including days in Narvik as well as skiing Riksgransen (heli as well) which is only four hours drive from Tromso.
All our trips were on boats so that really adds something special to the trip, and this was when it was quite reasonable with cheap flights to Tromso.
So many people are offering it now as it was a great way for European guides to extend their season.
Now it has to be said that the guides I know are going even further afield and Svalbard is "de rigueur" now along with Greenland.
It really does depend on what your budget is.
All our trip were end of April into May, and yes Narvik was wet then and snow in resort pretty shabby.
@BobinCH, have you come across a Swedish guide in Verbier, Anders ???
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Weathercam, Svalbard would be cool but requires more planning I think, weather is note fickle, and definitely a guide. A mate went touring there and they had to carry rifles to ward off hungry polar bears!!!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@BobinCH, illegal [b]not]/b] to carry a rifle in Svalbard outside the town boundary of Longyearbyen... but if you are forced to shoot a bear, it is treated as akin to murder until you can prove that you'd taken all other possible precautions to keep the bear away.
Can't comment on either from a skiing perspective, only done Lofoten in Nov. for a conference (Seriously - our retiring CEO was Swedish and took the senior mgmt team up there for a couple of days of 'real' country), and Svalbard on a expedition ship for a fortnight in June. Both incredible experiences, and highly memorable. Particularly the fish smell in Lofoten.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Lyngen would be my choice , been twice and had some amazing adventures , the skiing from the road or just off the ferry is great still able to do boat trips to far flung options too , our guide was great and defo made the trip better for our mixed group , but with an experienced group self guiding is very doable , we had a great snow pack the first year , but in 2018 the was a very difficult PwL which made steep terrain choices very limited , off to Svalbard in 2022 for next level artic adventure , senja is another region that looks interesting.
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There are so many options in Norway and to a lesser extent Sweden. You could spend years never retracing your steps. Lyngen and Lofoten are the tourist hot spots up north and with good reason. But there is so so much more.
Of all the touring spots up north i have found Lyngen to be the busiest. Its not alps busy but compared to other areas in Norway and Sweden it gets so many late season tourers.
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We did Lofoten a couple years ago. We hired a guide for four days to get our bearings and then went out on our own. A lot of very accessible peaks straight from the roadside and if you are vaguely competent with reading a map then a guide is not really necessary. Having said that, it was great having some initial introduction to the place from a local and there were a couple of runs we would not necessarily have attempted on our own as they were not obvious. We were also super lucky with the weather. I gather it's quite rare to get a longer stretch of good weather. We stayed in Henningsvaer which has a local climbers/skiers bar where you can get lots of good info and maybe hook up with some locals as well. Our guide Jonas wrote the main guide book to Lofoten skiing which is well worth getting. Lots of smelly fish everywhere though....
https://backcountrybooks.co/products/lofoten-skiing-in-the-magic-islands
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Weathercam,
Name you are after is Swenson. Anders Swenson
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Thanks all. Lots of research to do. Also found this free online guide with some routes close to the coast
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@BobinCH, nice map. We saw and got excited by Arnoya island - looks amazing with scope for gnar. But didn’t have time to get there. We stayed near Djupvik (but not Lyngen Lodge which is also near there) and did routes 8-10 on that map amongst other things.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
| Also found this free online guide with some routes close to the coast |
Yeah - that is Kafjord (slightly east of Lyngen).
The mountains there are slightly less jaggy (so arguably better suited to ski touring) and apparently a little colder / drier if weather comes from west.
Plus the views back over to Lyngen alps are magic - see photo at top of page.
I think the tourist leaflet was published to encourage tourists to venture further afield than Lyngen peninsula itself.
Perhaps because there are 2 or 3 guide books for Lyngen and then not much information / fewer tourists further east ?
Lyngdeseit village is good place to base yourself. You are centrally placed for Lyngen peninsula itself.
Can hit most parts within 1-1.5hrs drive. Plus you can also get the passenger ferry to Olderdalen in the morning and ski stuff on Kafjord (above) as a day trip.
Though honestly - there are mountains and snow to sea-level everywhere.
Could literally chuck a dart at map and have a good days skiing on some random 1000m peak.
We barely scratched the surface in a week.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I’ve posted this photo before on SH, but this is us getting first tracks on route 9 on your map above, @BobinCH.
This is possibly too distant to be useful, but it’s a view of Arnoya from the south. A bit steeper than Kafjord mountains and very exciting looking. Lots to do there I reckon.
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Poster: A snowHead
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For skitouring in Norway, I would suggest that you take a look at Sunnmøre-Alps. It is not as far north as Lofoten and Lyngen and maybe that is the reason why those places are more popular. I would suggest that you stay in Hjørundfjorden and hire a guide although a lot of those mountains can be done without one (although the excellent guide books are in Norwegian). Both Uteguiden and Hjørundfjorden mountain guides can be recommened. The mountains around the fiord are spectatular and larger than most that you see in Lyngen and particulary Lofoten. And the view is just as amazing with amazing fiords and the occean from the peaks. In addition, you have what is probably the best off piste resort in Norway just an hour away in Stranda. Can be combined with some city days in pretty Ålesund. Skårasalen, Slogen and Kolsåstinden are just a few of the great mountains reachable with touring. I find this area more interesting beacause there are less tourists in the spring, the mountains are more impressive in my view and the skiing is superb. You get an alpine feeling in the mountains.
Lofoten is very popular as a tourist destination in it self. When travelling abroad became practically (and morally) impossible last summer, "half of Norway" wanted to go up north to visit this beautiful area. And it for sure is. But the mountains are smaller although spectacular. But if you want to go to places in the north with less tourist and almost just as spectacular mountains, you can go to Senja or Kvaløya just outside Tromsø.
Lyngen has become really famous for skitouring and it is great up there. Endless possibilites there as well, and the couloirs in the area are something worthy of Verbier. Choose your steepness. Great lodging possibilities with all inclusive (also boat), but can reach most of the mountains easily with car. Lyngen also perheps feels a litte wilder than Lofoten and Sunnmørs-Alps. More sparsily populated. Every place here are great on their own, but again, I would have gone for the Sunnmøre-Alps for a first trip. Easy connection from Ålesund airport that had connections to Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Oslo before the Covid.
Two things that are worth mentioning when planning a ski trip to Norway. First, the weather plays a major role here. You can buy an expensive trip and have a whiteout week or a storm that lasts and lasts with poor skiing as a result. The conditons also varies a lot from year to year. Thus, I would never have booked an all inclusive trip on specified week in advance as it might be a bad weather week. Much better to wait and see (with the extra costs) and then go for it when you have good conditions. You will probably be able to book a guide anyhow. Second, the climate is very different from the Alps and something I have discussed with severel guides in the Alps. The snow is different and that means that avalanche conditions are different. There have been a couple of nasty accidents with guides from the Alps. Also have in mind that they are just as eager to get value out of the time they spend up there. I am not blaming them in general or saying that they necessarily are more willing to take extra risk, but they have not spent the winters up there to see the snow conditions evole, nor are they necessarily expert on coastal snow condtions. Anyhow, I am planning to take a trip up to Senja, Kvaløya and Lyngen in late April or early May if there are some good weather windows.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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And by the way, the rules for coming in to Norway at the moment are extremly strict. 10 days on mandatory quarrantine hotel. Maybe lifted before May, probably not.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Inboard wrote: |
I’ve posted this photo before on SH, but this is us getting first tracks on route 9 on your map above, @BobinCH.
This is possibly too distant to be useful, but it’s a view of Arnoya from the south. A bit steeper than Kafjord mountains and very exciting looking. Lots to do there I reckon.
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Superb. That’s what we’re after!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Mmm. Ski touring in Lofoten is way out of my league but it was after being inspired by pictures on a Snowheads thread (whilst drinking red wine) that I booked a sailing holiday - in mid June, so midnight sun. Extraordinary, unforgettable, environment. There was fish, drying on racks, but eating it wasn't compulsory and we caught fresh cod on the boat - a 56 foot Oyster.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Woosh, thanks for the recommendations. Don’t really want to use a guide unless really necessary. Part of the experience is researching the trip and routes and making the decisions ourselves as opposed to outsourcing it. Also as I mentioned we would book last night minute weather dependent. Not going all that way to be socked in all week or for poor snow conditions. Not interested in resorts or city days, we’re interested in the summit to sea routes Lyngen is famous for. Crowds not ideal but just have to get up early and be faster/fitter than the guided groups 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| BobinCH wrote: |
| Crowds not ideal but just have to get up early and be faster |
While Lyngen is (rightly) a honeypot I wouldn't describe it as crowded. Lots of ski tourers about but it's a big place - plenty space for everyone.
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Oh my that is a good looking place/group
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@horizon, 
@BobinCH, I believe it was on a previous (but similarly brightly coloured) edition that the term ‘bag of skittles steeze’ was coined...
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Really enjoyed Lyngen although it was a very expensive trip. Flight from Stanstead to Tromso was good. The mountains have a friendly feel and are essentially just like the west of Scotland except with slightly better weather and a metre of snow right down to the beach in April. I loved skiing through the birch trees in fabulous spring snow.
We Did the obligatory trips by boat which are great fun though landing in ski boots is tricky. An additional bonus was being able to hire telemark touring gear locally though I didn’t get couteau which I could have done with.
We had a UK guide but I felt that we could have probably done our own thing. He organised the accommodation and minibus as well as organising each day trip. Great to have no issues with altitude and end the day in a house on the beach with a proper shower, cooking a nice meal and sleeping in a proper bed.
Each day we managed about 1500m of vertical which made for manageable days. Late sunsets also make things easier and safer. There is any amount of skiing available and whilst we did see plenty of other groups there is no lack of space.
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FAQ
). This will give you a rough idea: 
