Storhaugen is a 1142 meter peak just across the fjord from the Lyngen Alps. With its location it offers great views when the weather allows. The most popular route is the west face which offers light until late in the afternoon. With easy access and wide open mellow slopes it is a great place for groups of all ability levels.
Being late April it was time to head back to Northern Norway. For the first few days my wife and I drove up there before she would leave me in Lyngsedit for a bit over a month and we wanted to do a relatively easy tour together. Since we were staying on the East side of the fjord I studied the map for a few minutes before deciding that we would head up Storhaugen. Driving up to the trailhead we had a great view of the face we intended to ski before parking the car and getting our gear ready.
Climbing up Storahaugen
Our plan was to skin in the early afternoon with the hopes of reaching the summit right before sunset. At the moment the forecast was calling for occasional clouds but they would increase later in the day. Starting the trip the snowpack was thin down low but with a little bit of elevation gain we would find a thick snowpack on the upper mountain.
Once in the open alpine the views of the surrounding mountains just kept getting better. From our perspective it seemed like there was a small hill before hitting the summit only to find that there was another small hill after that.
Standing on the Summit of Storhaugen
Arriving on the summit we were a bit slower then anticipated but we still had the final glow of Alpenglow. Looking at the surrounding area there were endless opportunities for ski runs on both sides of the fjord. Looking to the west we had a new perspective on the Lyngen Alps. The mountains on the east side of the sea were open with mellower slopes while the west side looked like pointed teeth.
Time to Snowboard Down
With the car over 1,000 meters below and the skies turning dark it was time to go. What took us over 2 hours to climb would be a 15 minute descent all the way back to the road. Since it was still April we were a few weeks away from the Midnight sun but fortunately the day was warm so we could still find great corn snow from top to bottom.
Time to say Goodbye
After one final night on the East side of the fjord we took a ferry across to Lyngsedit and did a little hike to a scenic view spot. It was a great first tour of the Spring season and after a few weeks my friend would be arriving from Seattle.
Storhaugen is a great tour if you are looking for easy access and scenic turns. It is highly recommended if you have a group of all ability levels or are looking to see the Lyngen Alps from a ways away. If you are in the area and looking for a good few hour tour then this is a great option.