Departure from Tromsø, the “Paris of the North.” Famous polar explorers such as Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen set out from Tromsø by ship on their expeditions. We won’t be venturing quite as far from civilization, but secluded bays and little-visited ski touring mountains are still the goal of this Ski & Sail tour.

At the harbor, your skipper will already be waiting for you. We’ll spend the first night in the harbor of Tromsø. The welcoming pubs and bars of the “Paris of the North” provide a great way to kick off the ski touring week.

Early in the morning, we leave the harbor and set course for the islands of Vannøya and Arnøya, about five hours away. The first breakfast on board, right in the middle of the fjord, is something special—just like our first ski tour in the area around Vannøya and Arnøya.

Several ski touring options are available on the approximately 700-meter-high mountains, and depending on the conditions, we’ll choose the best destination. From the summit, we enjoy our first panoramic view over the islands north of the Lyngen fjord and can already spot some of the touring objectives for the coming days.

The first descent takes us back down to the ship, after which we move a bit south to the island of Kågen. In the evening, we inaugurate the hot tub on the aft deck with a glass of red wine, enjoying the sunset from the ship.

On the island of Kågen, there are several longer ski tours to choose from — routes that are rarely visited and accessible only by boat. Once again, we’ll select the best destination based on conditions.

In the afternoon, we sail about 3–4 hours south to the island of Uløya. Those who are interested can watch the captain at the helm and perhaps even take the wheel themselves for a while.

We set out from Uløya for another ski tour to the highest mountain on the island. While the ship moves to its next position in Hamnnes, we carve our turns down wide slopes toward the sea, taking in the panoramic view of the Lyngen Peninsula.

In Hamnnes, we restock our provisions and spend the night in the harbor. There’s nothing to stop us from enjoying another soak in the hot tub afterward.

Today, the local mountain of Hamnes entices us with its summit slope. If all goes well, we’ll be able to visit our friend Alf in Koppangen, which serves as the base for our Lyngen ski touring trip without the ship.

Not far from Koppangen, we anchor in a small bay and set out to climb one of the most beautiful peaks of the Lyngenfjord. A short steep section leads us onto the glacier, followed by a gentle stretch before the final ascent to Tafeltinden.

A 1,400-meter descent awaits us back down to Koppangen, from where we set sail again, crossing to the opposite side of the fjord toward Nord-Lenangen.

The final tour to Ullstinden awaits. We set out directly from the boat on our last ski tour, climbing up to the summit. With one last view of the sea, we descend on the far side toward Snarby, where our ship picks us up again.

We then sail for about three more hours back to Tromsø, spending the night on board. To cap off the trip, we enjoy the lively nightlife in one of the city’s pubs before finally turning in for the night.