Skiing Options Across Northern Scandinavia
Guided ski-mountaineering, heli-skiing, free-skiing and kite-skiing across the Lyngen Alps, Tromsø, Kilpisjärvi, Sweden and Svalbard, with courses and tailor-made packages.
The best season for ski-mountaineering falls outside our peak husky season, so if you want to ski popular arctic destinations like the Lyngen Alps we can advise, arrange guides or guide you ourselves.
Northern Scandinavia offers near-limitless terrain, from the white snow deserts of Lapland to Norway's coastal mountains and the peaks and glaciers of Spitzbergen. There is something for everyone to climb or ski, from wide easy snowfields to narrow ridges and steep couloirs.
- Guided ski-mountaineering, heli-skiing, free-skiing and kite-skiing across the North
- Ski Mountaineering Course: Lyngen Alps, Feb-May, 5 days, 3-8 people, €525 pp
- Jiehkkevárri (1834 m) day tour, the 'Mont Blanc of the North': €120 pp
- Ski-Mountaineering / Free-skiing Day: 1 day, 1-5 people, €360 per group
- Kite-skiing day: Kilpisjärvi or Hetta, 5 hours, 1-4 people, €100
- Heli-skiing by request: ~3000-5000 m vertical descent per day
- Snow-safety and glacier gear included in the price of all products
Ski-Mountaineering & Free-skiing
Across all our options, heli-skiing, ski and boat journeys, ski touring or snowmobile and ski trips, the common factor is superb skiing in the breathtaking nature of the North. In Finland we guide around Hetta, in the Käsivarsi region of Kilpisjärvi and in Lapland's ski centres.
Ski mountaineering means challenging ascents on foot, with crampons or snowshoes, and descents by ski. We choose routes that make the descent as rewarding as the group's skill allows, and our courses include ascent options and climbing instruction as appropriate. Free-skiing products put the emphasis firmly on the descent.
Equipment
In the winter mountains you need the right equipment and the knowledge to use it safely. Alongside standard mountain-safety gear such as headlamps and duvet jackets, all back-country skiers, boarders and mountaineers in the Scandinavian mountains should carry snow-safety gear: avalanche transceivers, shovels and probes. This kit, and a rucksack for it, is included in the price of our products, you are welcome to use your own, and every ski day starts with a safety-equipment briefing.
Bring your own ski-mountaineering equipment, normal skis with binding adapters or telemark skis with skins; snowboarders ascend on snowshoes. We recommend helmets and back-armour, plus knee protection for telemark skiers. Additional specialist kit can be hired from us.
Ski-Mountaineering in Arctic Norway: Lyngen & Tromsø
In Norway we guide in Lyngen, Tromsø and occasionally the Narvik / Lofoten area. Lyngen's enormous mountainous peninsula, set between two fjords c. 50 km east of Tromsø and 50 km west of Kilpisjärvi, is so spectacular and Alpine that mountaineers call it the 'Lyngen Alps'. Mountains and glaciers rise straight from the sea to around 1500 m, and the highest summit, Jiehkkevárri (1834 m), is known as the 'Mont Blanc of the North'.
Tromsø, 'Ishavsby', is a vibrant city of 65,000 beside the Arctic Ocean, ringed by mountains and fjords. Plentiful snow and its northerly location allow skiing through to mid/late June, with the best conditions usually in March, April and May.
Heli-skiing in Arctic Sweden
In Sweden we offer courses in Riksgränsen, plus products in Svalbard (Spitsbergen). The season in this part of Lapland is long and guaranteed: last winter the heli-ski season ran from January to our final client runs in June, snow depth passes 1 m by the end of February, and fresh powder falls as late as mid-May.
Heli-skiing is by request only, each package tailor-made. Our typical helicopter carries the pilot, guide and four skiers, so a group of four is most economical. A typical day gives 4-6 hours of helicopter use and about 1-1½ hours of flying time, meaning 5-10 lifts and some 3000-5000 m of vertical descent.
Kite-skiing
Lapland is a kite-skier's paradise, but the sport is best learnt on flat icy lakes, most often Kilpisjärvi's Kilpis Lake or the Ounas Lakes of Hetta. Once advanced, head for the fells on a day trip or longer: most choose the treeless Käsivarsi wilderness area ('Finland's arm') or the Pallas-Ounas mountain chain, where good wind carries you tens of kilometres a day. Bring your downhill, telemark or snowboarding equipment and a helmet; Arctic Mountain Guides uses Ozone kites and equipment.
Good to know
- Ski Mountaineering Course
- Lyngen Alps, Norway; Feb-May; 5 days; 3-8 people; €525 pp (incl. guiding, avalanche & glacier gear)
- Jiehkkevárri Tour
- Lyngen Alps (airport Tromsø); Feb-May; 1 day; 3-10 people; €120 pp
- Free-skiing Day
- Lyngen Alps; Feb-May; 1 day; 1-5 people; €360 per group
- Kite-skiing
- Kilpisjärvi or Hetta; Feb-May; 5 hours; 1-4 people; €100
- Heli-skiing
- By request; ~4-6 hr helicopter use; 5-10 lifts; 3000-5000 m descent
- Regions
- Lyngen, Tromsø, Kilpisjärvi, Riksgränsen (Sweden), Svalbard