With Scott only having 3 days to explore the Lyngen Alps I found it fitting to do a camping trip on the Strupbeen Glacier. This would allow us great views of the surround area and hopefully some good skiing along the way. I had been at the base of the glacier earlier in the season but this would be my first time on the upper slopes.
Heading Out to the Strupbeen Glacier
Since we didn’t have a car we were regulated by public transportation. Getting on a bus we were carrying overnight packs with ski gear while it was filled with kids heading to school. We had to laugh at the situation as it was so bizarre. Soon enough we were dropped off on the side of the road and ready to start our trip.
The weather was warming up and there was a potential of wet slides. Knowing this we were concerned about heading through the Mouse Trap of the Strupbeen Glacier. We decided to do an alternative route heading up a valley to the south and going up and over a mountain before descending onto the toe of the Glacier.
Making it onto the summit of our alternative route we had a great view of the Lyngenfjord. Below us we needed to find a ski descend route that didn’t involve overhanging cornices. With a closer inspection we were able to find a safe route down and we were past the infamous Mouse Trap.
Heading to the toe of the Strupbeen Glacier we spotted an ice cave and decided to get a closer look of what was inside. Walking into the small entrance the terrain opened up with smooth a smooth ceiling above us. It had been carved out slowly by the outflow stream.
Sunset Over the Strupbeen Glacier
We made our way to the top of the glacier and scouted out the most scenic camping spot we could find. We had lost quite a few hours with the alternative route up but had made it just in time for the sunset. For the next few hours we sat around and took in the late day alpenglow on the surrounding areas.
Day 2: Heading out to Tvillingtinden
The next morning we woke up to semi cloudy skies and started trying to come up with things to do. We were surrounded by numerous peaks that looked to be a great ski but we were limited in time as we needed to head back down that afternoon.
Looking over the crest we spotted a nice line on the north face of Tvillingtinden. We only had time to go for one run before heading back down and this ticked the two things we were interested in. First a nice line to ski and second of course was the view.
Wrapping around a low col we skied over to the base of the peak and switched over to crampons. While the face was steep we were able to put in solid steps making our way up the ridge before reaching the summit.
Standing on the summit of Tvillingtinden we were rewarded with the views that we had hoped for. Being a small area with what seemed like overhanging cornices we delicately walked around. From our vantage point everything around us dropped off dramatically.
Looking to the East we could see the valley we had started our trip in. Though there were clouds in the sky it seemed to make the view a bit more dramatic.
Heading Back to Civilisation
The turns down were icy on the steep slopes and didn’t warrant any photos. Wanting to make sure that we had enough time to meet up with David who was waiting at the trailhead we quickly ran back to camp and threw our stuff in our backpacks and were off. Since we were descending we felt comfortable with riding down the Mousetrap as it would only be a minute or two of exposure to potential avalanches.
It was fun getting out and what we lacked in turns was made up for in stunning views. Though I wish we had better conditions the Strupbeen Glacier trip was still fun none the less. With Scott only having 3 days in the area he was able to get a taste of the Lyngen Alps have become a ski touring Mecca. Sorry about the lack of riding photos but conditions didn’t warrant taking pics of icy turns on steep faces.
Thank you for reading this Trip Report.
Below is the other trips in my 2015 Spring Season attempting to find good snow.