Info About Store Koppangstinden
Store Koppangstinden is a peak located on the East side of the Northern portion of the Lyngen Alps of Norway. Being one of the main summits on off of the Strupbeen glacier it is a prominent line with ski descents off multiple aspects. With a summit elevation of 1,017 meters the most popular climbing and skiing route is via the Southwest face.
Hiking up for an Evening Lap from Camp
Being Wiggles last trip in the Lyngen Alps we put together a camping trip on the Strupbeen Glacier. This was my fourth time in the area and knew of the limitless options in all types of conditions. Our group was Wiggle, me, David and his son Elias.
Racing the sunlight we made our way past the toe of the glacier and set up camp before heading out for a snowboard run. Once on top of one of the sub summits of the area we had a great view of the Lyngenfjord and Store Koppangstinden on the left side of the photo below.
Wrapping around a col we were able to snowboard back to camp as a team. By now we were in the shade while the peaks in the distance basked in the sun.
Day 2: Climbing Store Koppangstinden
We woke up to clouds in the high country yet the forecast called for them to burn off. Wanting to make the most out of our time we climbed to the summit of Tafeltinden. We waited for over an hour for the clouds to clear before realising it wasn’t going to happen.
Snowboarding down the Strupbeen Glacier we turned our attention to Store Koppangstinden. Since the summit was a few hundred meters lower the top was below the cloud deck. Once we made it to the base we switched over to crampons and started climbing the Southwest bowl.
Once near the summit of Store Koppangstinden we had a great view of the Strupbeen Glacier. The West ridge cut the glacier into two separate direction. Out of all the views I had in this area this was the best view of the whole glacier.
Dropping off to the East of us was the Lyngenfjord. Sitting on top for a little while we soaked in the views before snowboarding down the Southwest bowl of Store Koppangstinden
Exiting the Strupbeen Glacier via Boat
Our trip was short so we need to get down to the shorelines before dark. Throwing our gear into our packs we rode the low angled glacier all the way to the Northeastern shoreline. David had arranged for a boat to pick us up and return back to Struben Village.
The next morning our boat arrived right after breakfast and it was time to leave. While it was a brief camping trip we were happy to have climbed Store Koppangstinden. Wiggles had seen quite a lot of the Lyngen Alps for over the past month and it was a great way to end the trip.
