Lyngen Alps Norway

Lyngen Alps are an iconic backcountry ski region in the far north of Norway. Its incredible beauty, amazing snow & big terrain put it in the firm 'visit before you die' category of ski-touring locations. Trackless summit to sea descents of up to 1,500m are possible with the added bonus of maybe some glade skiing at the base! The only catch is it is all human-powered up the hill, just the way we like it!

The Lyngen Alps range is for the most part surrounded by water, allowing for typically Norwegian ski & sail adventures where boats are used to access the skiing terrain plus as a base for meals & accommodation. But whilst boat-based skiing & splitboarding is popular, many of the region's best ski routes can also be explored from land, so anyone not happy being crammed on a boat with strangers 'can have their cake and eat it too' by getting around in a rental car.

Just like the legendary Lofoten Islands, Lyngen Alps is gaining in popularity every winter. If wanting to experience the ‘next best thing’, perhaps head a little further north to Finnmark.

Pros & Cons for Lyngen Alps

Pros

• Quality snow & reliable snowpack until late in the season (June).
• Endless backcountry powder skiing & split-boarding options.
• High adventure above the Arctic Circle.
• Stunning surroundings & views.
• Terrain includes everything from easy bowls to challenging couloirs & even tree-skiing.
• Ski directly back to the boat, car or house.
• Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) viewing possible, even probable in some months.
• Delicious fresh fish available.

Cons

• Increasingly popular ski-touring region where some of the 'easy access' terrain can get tracked-out during the peak winter season.
• Can be expensive.
• Quality accommodation can be difficult to get without booking long in advance.
• If boat-based, too bad if you don't like fish!

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• For first-time visitors it is best explored with a guide or on a tour.
• Accommodation often on boats or in self-contained holiday homes.
• Isolated & dark in winter, long days later in the season.
• Becoming increasingly popular.
• Access to the ski terrain is all human-powered on skins or boot pack.

Ski-touring & Splitboarding, Snow & Terrain

The Lyngen Alps are about 90km long & 20km wide with the highest point being 1,834m above sea level - literally! The range includes glaciers, steep couloirs, gentle bowls & some tree-skiing down low. Summits typically skied in the Lyngen Alps are less than 1,400m altitude, with descents going all the way down to sea level. As all skiing & splitboarding is human-powered, "skin-up to ski-down" is a reasonable motto for any visit to the area.

With skiing from February to early June, early season turns are more likely to be powder right down to sea level, with cold temperatures, shorter days, and a chance of sighting the incredible Northern Lights at night (see below for more info on the Northern Lights). As the season progresses days get longer & warmer, night-time all but disappears, and the snow conditions become soft corn. Descending a mountain under the 'midnight sun' is a wonderful experience from late May onwards.

Some mountains, particularly those close to villages like Lyngseidet, can get heavily tracked after snowstorms, but there is plenty in the region to avoid others if you wish. On the upside, having some locals put in a skin track and test the mountains stability before you get up can be handy! The eastern side of the Lyngenfjord has less skiers on its plentiful summits.

Boat based skiing & splitboarding is a fabulous means to access the more remote peaks in the Lyngen Alps, particularly early in the season. For those that have an aversion to living on small (ish) boats for extended periods, land-based touring is possible from the many roads that remain open throughout the touring season. As with most remote locations, joining a guided tour is a good way to make the most of a trip to this fascinating ski destination. Check out all the Guided Tours in the Lyngen Alps ->

Ski Touring & Splitboard Rentals

There are at least 2 equipment rental location in the Lyngen Alps region. The largest is in Tromsø at Tromso Outdoor. To the east in the heart of the Lyngen Alps, a small store called Elektro Sport AS in the village of Lyngseidet has a small selection of ski-touring gear available. Contact them via the links.

Where are the Lyngen Alps Norway?

The Lyngen Alps are above the Arctic Circle only about 40km east of the city of Tromsø, but a world away in reality. The mountainous region is adjacent the beautiful Lyngenfjord. The Norwegian capital of Oslo is 1,150km to the south. The major city of Narvik is 232km (3 to 3½hr) by road south of Tromsø and can make a convenient staging point for visits to not only the Lyngen Alps, but also the Lofoten Islands and the Swedish Lapland ski areas (Riksgränsen, Abisko, & Björkliden) to the south, or the isolated mountainous region of the Finnmark to the north.

Flights to Tromso (TOS) airport are mostly via Oslo (OSL) & take around 2hr. Several direct flights European & UK origins exist too. Some of the more useful ones include London-Gatwick and Frankfurt. Search & book flights to Tromsø.

Whilst boats are a common way to travel & ski the Lyngen Alps (50km+ by boat from Tromso), it is possible to access some portions of the ski terrain in as little as 1½hr from Tromsø via car & ferry. If not travelling as part of a tour, cars can be rented at Tromso airport. Search & book car rentals from Tromso.

The most important village centres in Lyngen Alps are Lyngseidet on the western shore of the Lyngenfjord, and Olderdalen on the opposite eastern shore. Both are connected by ferry, or by road via the distant southernmost point of the fjord.

The region can also be comfortably reached by rental car from Narvik and its nearby airport at Harstad (Evenes - EVE). We did it and loved the ability to explore both the Lyngen Alps & Lofoten Islands in one trip. Warming up at Narvikfjellet was great fun too!

Lyngen Alps Accommodation

The Lyngen Alps jut out into the fjords allowing for multiple accommodation options along its shoreline or on boats. Anyone not on a tour or boat can rent rooms in numerous lodges, cabins & private homes or apartments - many, if not most, have skiing directly from & to the door. Accommodations are on both sides of Lyngenfjord. The main centres of the western shore are Lyngseidet & the hamlet of Koppangen, whilst on eastern shore, Olderdalen & the smaller Løkvollen (or Manndalen) are the best bases with services.

Search & book all Lyngen Alps accommodation.

On the western shore of Lyngenfjord (but on the eastern side of the Lyngen Peninsula!), the village of Lyngseidet, less than 2hr drive from Tromsø Airport (including a ferry ride!), is a good central location from which to start your own ski adventure or join a land-based mountain guide. The village has all the requisite shops & services required for 'self-contained travellers. For accommodations, try the Magic Mountain Lodge for a convivial atmosphere and variety of rooms. We stayed twice at the atmospheric Solhov Guesthouse. Labelled as the 'Castle of the Lyngen Alps', the building is magnificent but the experience of staying here varied so greatly from one year to the next (see our review) that we can only recommend it for one or two nights stay if nothing else in the region is available, and only if you can get one of the better renovated rooms. An alternative, always with availability, is the Lyngseidet Gjestegård Hotel. It has a slightly weird vibe, but the spacious rooms are great for a few nights rest. Ask for a room on the quiet side of the hotel (opposite side to the road).

North of Lyngseidet the road ends at the hamlet of Koppangen, where some of the region’s best glacier ski-touring begins. On the shoreline if the beautifully situated Koppangen Brygger. Between Koppangen & Lyngseidet, the Aurora Fjord Cabins offer beautiful new fjordside, self-contained lodgings. The cabins are associated with the adjacent Aurora Spirit Distillery.

The eastern side of Lyngenfjord has less skier traffic than the western side, but still with several decent accommodation options. In Løkvollen (Manndalen), the Manndalen Sjøbuer cabins on the harbourside are comfortable and come with a complimentary kicksled (or as it is locally known as a 'spark'). Kicksleds are a lot of fun & practical too. They are used like a scooter except you are riding on hard packed ice surfaces like all the local roads and footpaths!

Olderdalen is linked to Lyngseidet by the ferry service. Unlike Lyngseidet, the village has a very quiet vibe, with little going on after-hours. The places to stay include the superb Olderdalen Ski Camp, which is not a camp at all, but an apartment & holiday home lodge! Other self-contained lodging includes the new, highly rated Alpan Apartments, located right on the harbour near the ferry terminal, and the nearby, affordable, Odins Hus Lyngenfjord, with its numerous well-equipped, but tired, self-contained apartments. Olderdalen has a well-stocked supermarket (we know because we shopped there!) & fuel station but few other service's useful to travellers. There are several holiday homes for rent in town, but there are better ones further up the road to the north.

North of Olderdalen, on a small peninsula, the locality of Spåkenes has the exceptional Lyngen North offering a few incredible rooms with spectacular views of the Fjord, mountains & sky, plus a couple of self-contained houses for larger groups.

At the northern end of the Lyngenfjord, the island of Uløya sits snugly with its own mountain backyard and fast boat access to nearby, rarely visited terrain. Lyngen Outdoor Center has two fully equipped houses and catering (and guiding if required) for private ski weeks throughout the winter season. We highly recommend it. Another option on the island is the high-end, 4-star Arctic Panorama Lodge.

On the western side of the Lyngen peninsula, toward the northern tip, aside from a variety of holiday rental homes & apartments, there is the exceptional Lyngen Experience Lodge, which provides 5-star accommodation, facilities & cuisine. A little further north, the Lyngen Experience Apartments have fabulous, modern, well-equipped self-contained apartments with 1 to 4 bedroom configurations.

Alternatively, accommodation can be sought in & around the small city of Tromsø , but only if one has a rental vehicle to travel the few hours a day to the best ski terrain. For skiing Lyngen Alps, basing oneself near Tromsø will come with severe time penalties due to ferry crossings and road closures for avalanche control etc. By all means visit the city, but if getting around in a rental car, stay closer to the 'action'. Of course near Tromsø, there are also some sublime ski-touring areas like the nearby Kvaløya island. The island has lower elevation summits than Lyngen Alps but is spectacular and close to the city. There are numerous hotels along the fjord near the centre of the city, plus loads of rental homes & apartments further out in the ‘suburbs’.

Search & book all Tromsø accommodation.

If driving up from Narvik like we did, spend a few nights in the city and head up to the best ski resort in the Arctic, Narvikfjellet. (Yeh, I know some people will say Riksgränsen in Sweden is the better one, but we beg to differ!).

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) at Lyngen Alps

Another of Lyngen Alps geographical benefits is shared with much of the Arctic - its proximity to the stunning phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis (otherwise known as the Northern Lights).

The Northern Lights can be viewed from September to April. You need a clear night with minimal light (artificial or moon!) & the right solar activity. You can see when an event is due by checking the forecast (yep, there’s an aurora forecast!). Check here for the northern lights forecast.

Visiting the Region

For the best possible conditions, visit the region any time from late-February to the end of April. By April the days are already very long, so extended tours are possible. If coming during Easter, book accommodation & rental cars well ahead of the travel dates.

Anyone visiting the region for the first time may be best joining a tour or a least getting a local guide for a day or two. For options, check out the Lyngen Alps Tour Listings page.

Review

The Powderhounds first visited Arctic Norway and the Lyngen Alps in March 2023. We loved it so much that we headed back for more exploration in March 2024. If you love ski-touring & powder on remote mountains in a spectacular setting, you should visit too. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.

See how Lyngen Alps compares to the rest of the Norwegian ski areas on the Norway ski area ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

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