Lyngen Alps, Norway
Varied ski touring terrain in a beautiful setting
Every year in April Mountain Spirit Guides spend a few weeks ski touring in the Lyngen Alps in northern Norway. We love the calm solitude and unexploated nature where you climb peaks surrounded by the sea on all sides. There are no lifts, we reach all the summits we want to ski by skinning or climbing on foot. With the number of peaks to ski and the very few mountain guides operating there, crowds are nonexistent. The spring in northern Norway usually offers excellent snow conditions, nice weather, and frequent chance to admire the mystic beauty of Northern Lights at night. It is a very unique location for ski mountaineering.
Peaks perfectly shaped for skiing
Skiing Terrain
The Lyngen Alps and its islands offers an amazing ski terrain, typically 1000 – 1400m vertical of skiing from the summits back down to the sea. The peaks are perfectly shaped for skiing; some look like hand made ski slopes on smooth glaciers, and others offer more technical skiing down winding gullies and steep couloirs. The Lyngen area is an expansive playground for all levels of off-piste skiers and ski mountaineers. Our daily decisions of ski descents and which summits to climb are based on group ability, avalanche safety and snow conditions.
Accommodation
You can choose to access the base of the mountains by car or by boat, therefore we have the option to stay either in a house or on a sail boat.
Balcony view from seaside house in Lyngen
Living for 6 days on a sail boat, docking in to a new harbour every night after skiing, we travel to a new island or peninsula every day. The Lyngen Alps – Ski and Sail week is a full-time adventure. See the photo gallery from our Ski & Sail expedition, Lyngen Alps 2008. Traveling by boat, we also have the chance to spot various species of whales and catch our own fish for dinner.
The cheaper and more spacious option for accommodation is to stay in the seaside house in Lyngsided. There is a great system of roads along all coastlines, including the islands, from where we can start our ski mountaineering days.
Best Time
For ski touring, the Lyngen Alps are most pleasant to visit in the spring (mid March to 1st week of May) when the days are long and the snow cover is good.
Ski touring descent from Lille Galten, Lygnen.
Thanks to the Gulf stream the fjords never freezes and temperatures stays mild at sea level (zero to -5 degree Celsius wintertime), but it can be considerably colder on the mountains. Precipitation is plentiful along the cost line throughout the winter. In the end of March the snow is typically powdery and later on, in April, you get good chances to ski creamy corn snow. In early April the Northern Lights are still regularly vibrant at night. By mid-May Lyngen gets the midnight sun, but then the skiing season is really coming to an end.
If you plan a trip to Lyngen, we recommend you to plan ahead. We usually fix our dates for these trips already during the summer in order to get the best accommodation available.
Abisko, Sweden
Wide and wild open spaces in Abisko
Abisko town is located close to the Riksgränsen and Björkliden ski resorts in northern Sweden, 400km north of the arctic circle. Skiers are hearty welcomed at the local lodge, which serves as our base for ski touring and heli skiing adventures.
This high alpine environment greets you with barking of dogs, nature-loving people, and also here the Northern Lights shines at night. In the vast area of skiable peaks (including Kebnekaise Swedens highest summit) many are reached by helicopter, some on skins from the huts. On a day of ski touring you might cross the paths of reindeers and encounter elks and grouse. This week we even spotted a wolverine!
If a day does not allow the heli to fly, alternative activities are tours with snowmobiles or dog sleighs.
'Bada tunna' at Abisko Mountain Lodge
the spring-green Chamonix town had turned into a proper winter-white ski town, and it kept dumping all day long. 50cm on 3000m, rain-snow limit on 800m. The best April fool’s joke ever! We dived into the fresh snow, head over heals in the whiteout. The poor visibility gave a sensation of even deeper snow and that you had it all to your self (a rare feeling on Grands Montets during Easter). But when the clouds finally scattered the reality of a completely re-tracked mountain and masses of happy skiers was reveled to you.Early morning on the Aig du Midi arête.
2nd of April was another of those clear, optimal powder days. Maybe the best snow-wise this winter!? Taking first bin up to the Aiguille du Midi we had skied 4500m vertical before lunch. Being Easter weekend and all, many people had an amazing experience in Chamonix this day.
Powder Party Goes On!
A bit of snow over night on the 2nd and another big dump over night on the 3rd…
I understand that you got the drill by now, but just to give you the latest update on current snow condition before I publish this post…
Hanna deep in the snow on Pres de Rocher.
Today on the 4th of April we found 25-50cm of wind transported snow above 3000m. All lift systems in Chamonix opened late, after they had secured the pistes. Courmayeur opened, but only the bottom half of the system.
The morning being cloudy, we skied the trees from Aiguille du Midi mid station (Pres de Rocher) until it cleared and we got a run off the top. Snow was really light above 2000m, but on some wind affected slopes the top-layer was dense and easily sliding. Avalanche risk was high also lower down where the snow was heavier.
Tonight we get another 10cm of snow. Monday and Tuesday will be sunny, but during the week the snowy weather fronts are coming our way in a steady stream again.
To conclude…
- Powder skiing has been perfect.
- There has not been great conditions for ski touring due to either bad weather or too much fresh snow (not that there has been any need to walk anywhere to ski powder, but some people really like to walk anyway). For example most people who expected to do the Haute Route this week, unfortunately(?) had to change their plans.
- Grands Montets and Aiguille du Midi has been the preferred areas for off-piste skiing in Chamonix, since the snow has stayed light and cold in altitude. But please note that these mountains are no place to be for unexperienced off-piste skiers without a mountain guide, especially in current conditions. Extensive knowledge about glacier and avalanche safety as well as route finding skills are indispensable.
Asmus picking a great line...
I have lost count of how many meters of snow on the Aiguille du Midi the above adds up to, but fore sure we have a long and great spring- and steep skiing season in front of us now with all this snow filling in and sticking well to the high mountain faces. Skiing the Vallee Blanche will also be in good conditions for a few more weeks.
Is Chamonix Too Crowded During Easter?
One draw back with visiting Chamonix during Easter holidays are the big crowds and the incapability of the Chamonix lift systems to handle them. For many visitors, week 13 can involve a lot of queuing, espacially on Grands Montets and Aiguille du Midi. Also, for non-locals, the ever-changing priority rules, opening times and various lift passes is completely incomprehensible. It is a game you need to learn how to play with the all-mighty access provider Compagnie du Mont Blanc. For obvious reasons I will never write a post about “how to avoide the crowds in Chamonix”, but it is another good reason for me to recommend you to ski with a mountain guide in Chamonix.
