Geography
The Lyngen peninsula is a very scenic and mountainous area, known as the Lyngen Alps, with the highest peaks in Troms county. The highest peak is Jiehkkevárri, reaching 1,833 metres (6,014 ft). The peninsula is almost split in two by the Kjosen fjord, and barely connects by a strip of land. The skiing is all over the peninsula and the scenery is fantastic. You will find good ski touring peaks from 700m up to 1800m.
The municipality is situated on the Lyngen peninsula, with the Lyngen fjord to the east and Ullsfjord to the west. The municipal centre is Lyngseidet, located between the bottom of Kjosen fjord and The Lyngen fjord. The municipality has its own shipping company, operating the car ferries west to Breivikeidet in Tromsø and east to Olderdalen in Kåfjord meeting European route E6. There is also a road going south along the shore of the fjord connecting to the main E6 road, giving ferry-free access to the main road network.
Climate
Winters in Lyngen are long, but not very cold considering the very northerly latitude. Average 24-hr temperatures are below freezing from November to early April, with a January average of −4.5 °C (24 °F). May is cool, with an average of 5.5 °C (42 °F); summer temperatures usually arrives in June. July is the warmest month with 24-hr average of 12.5 °C (54 °F); August’s average is 11.6 °C (53 °F) and October’s is 3.5 °C (38 °F). The average annual precipitation varies from 500 millimetres (19.7 in) in Lyngseidet (half that of Tromsø) to 950 millimetres (37.4 in) in the northern part of the peninsula (Nord-Lenangen).
Spring often sees much sunshine and is the driest season; average monthly precipitation is approximately 30 millimetres (1.2 in) from March to June, while October is the wettest month. In the mountains of the Lyngen Alps, the average temperatures typically remain below freezing from October to May, and snow accumulation can exceed 5 metres (16.4 ft).
Ski logistics
The ski season is long in the lyngen alps (December – May) and for some areas and runs you will find great conditions to the end of May. May is when the spring sets in and when the snowpack starts to transform into corn or spring snow. A warm month with good skiing and sun 24/7 but you will need well preparated skis when the snow gets wet. In early May we still put our skis on from sea level all over the peninsula and islands. April is a month when you can get a little bit of everything but it´ stormily the month when we get a lot of heavy dumps of snow. March is often a pretty cold month with powder even if the sun starts to effect the snow pack on the warmer days. January and February can be really good but can be dangerous after some cold and windy months without sun exposure. Lyngen consists of both continental and coastal snowpack depending on altitude and area. Before the sun stars to warm the snowpack here we sometimes see enormous avalanches in the beginning of the season resulting in full mountainsides going straight into the sea. This means that some of the areas are very difficult to read in the beginning of the season. Ascent Descent “The Lyngen Mountain Guides” are providing avalanche awareness courses throughout the early season. From these courses you will learn how to travel in avalanche terrain and finding and timing your dream run.
Ski rental
Tromsooutdoor.no in Tromsø city is the place where most of our clients rent their skis since it´s very convenient after landing and on the way to the Lyngen alps. They have a good selection of rental equipment and up to date ski models and bindings. Only tech bindings so if you use your alpine boots for touring you should rent skis at home.
