Sail & Ski — Tromsø, Lyngen Alps & Finnmark
Imagine waking up in a quiet Arctic fjord. You step outside onto the deck.
Snow-covered mountains rise straight from the sea around you. The coffee is on.
Skis are ready. There are no lift queues, no crowded car parks and no limits as to
what mountain you can ski on.
Instead, you jump in the dinghy, head ashore and start walking up through the snow,
higher and higher. Then you turn around, point your skis downhill and ski all the
way back towards the sea.
Welcome to Sail and Ski in Northern Norway.
For an unforgettable week, Meridian becomes your floating basecamp, sailing between
the mountains of Northern Norway and taking us from one ski area to the next.
We set sail from the Arctic gateway of Tromsø, explore the fjords and islands around
there and into the Lyngen Alps and, when conditions and itinerary allow, further
north into the wild mountains of Finnmark.
Every day is different. Every night we anchor somewhere new.
And the best part?
You don’t need to be an expert skier or sailor to come.
Three Ways to Do It
We offer three different Sail & Ski experiences in Northern Norway:
1. Sail & Ski Lyngen
7 days | Tromsø & Lyngen Alps
Our main Sail & Ski trip. A good introduction to ski touring, sailing and the
Lyngen Alps, suitable for a mixed group of abilities.
2. Sail & Ski Lyngen + Finnmark
7 days | Tromsø, Lyngen & further north
A more remote trip with more sailing and more of an expedition feel. We’ll head
further north when conditions allow and explore some of the less accessible parts
of Northern Norway.
3. Private Ski & Sail Expedition
7–14 days | Your group, your route
Bring your friends, family or ski crew and we’ll build the trip around you.
You decide how ambitious, relaxed, ski-focused or sailing-focused you want the week to be.
Sail & Ski Lyngen
7 days | Tromsø → Lyngen → Tromsø
The Lyngen Alps are an amazing place to ski from a boat and are one of Norway’s
great ski-touring destinations, with dramatic alpine terrain, glaciers, steep faces
and countless routes descending towards the fjords.
The mountains rise straight out of the sea, which means we can anchor beneath them
and start our ski tour almost from the water.
There’s no need to drive between ski areas every day. We simply move the boat.
This is our most accessible Sail & Ski trip and is designed for people with a
wide range of experience.
Maybe you’ve been ski touring for years. Maybe you’ve never put skins on your skis before.
Maybe you’ve sailed across oceans. Maybe you’ve never stepped on a sailing boat.
That’s all fine.
We’ll teach you what you need to know and choose the day’s activities around the group.
Some days might be a relatively easy ski tour with plenty of time to stop for lunch
and enjoy the views. Other days, if the conditions and the group are up for it,
we can go after something bigger.
The important thing is that everyone gets to enjoy the trip.
Sail & Ski Lyngen + Finnmark
7 days | A little further north
This trip takes the same idea and pushes it further. We’ll explore Lyngen and,
when conditions and timing allow, continue north towards the mountains and islands
of Finnmark.
Kågen, Arnøya, Vannøya & the northern islands offer another huge collection of
ski objectives, from mellow slopes to serious alpine terrain.
There will be more sailing and a little more spontaneity about exactly where we’ll end up.
That’s intentional.
The further north you go, the more remote it starts to feel.
There are huge stretches of coastline, small settlements, empty fjords and mountains
that see very few people.
We’ll use Meridian to move between them.
One day we might be skiing in the Lyngen Alps. The next we could be sailing north
towards a completely different mountain range.
If we find great snow, we’ll stay. If the forecast changes, we’ll move.
The route will develop as the week goes on.
This One Is a Little More Expedition-Style
You should be comfortable with longer days outside and some proper winter conditions.
But you don’t need to be an elite ski tourer.
We’ll still have options for different abilities, and the exact objectives will
depend on the group.
Experienced skiers can look for more challenging terrain when conditions allow.
Less experienced skiers can enjoy shorter tours and more straightforward terrain.
This trip is as much about getting somewhere interesting as it is about skiing a
particular mountain.
Private Sail & Ski Expeditions
7–14 days | Your group, your trip
If you’re travelling with a group of friends, family or ski partners, you can have
Meridian entirely to yourselves.
This gives us much more freedom to build the trip around exactly what you want to do.
Maybe you want a week focused almost entirely on skiing. Maybe half the group skis
while the others are more interested in sailing, hiking, fishing or exploring.
Maybe you’re an experienced ski-touring group and want to look for some bigger objectives.
Or maybe you just want to spend a week somewhere beautiful with good friends,
good food and a sailing boat.
We can build the trip around you.
Your Floating Basecamp
One of the best things about doing this by boat is that you don’t have to move
accommodation every day.
- Your gear stays on Meridian.
- You wake up somewhere new.
- Go skiing.
- Come back to the same boat.
- Eat, chat, play cards or simply relax.
- Dry your clothes.
- Sail somewhere else.
- Wake up somewhere new again.
No driving between ski areas. No packing your bags every morning. No sitting in traffic.
Just the mountains, the sea and the boat.
And There’s More to Do Than Ski
Although skiing is the main reason for these trips, it doesn’t have to be the only
thing we do.
Depending on the trip and the season, we can also make time for:
- Fishing
- Swimming
- Cold-water dips
- Sauna
- Wildlife watching
- Hiking
- Exploring small coastal communities
- Cooking and eating local food
- Sailing at night
- Simply finding a quiet anchorage and enjoying being there
The Adventure
The concept is simple:
We sail to the mountains. We ski them. We come back to the boat.
Enjoy delicious meals aboard Meridian, play games and have fun in the evenings.
Then we sail somewhere new.
The coastline around Tromsø, Lyngen and Finnmark is almost ridiculously well suited
to this. Huge mountains rise directly from the sea, meaning the boat can get us into
places that would otherwise take hours of driving – and sometimes places that are
completely inaccessible by road.
The Lyngen Alps are particularly spectacular, with steep alpine peaks rising
dramatically above the fjords, while the islands and remote coastlines further north
give us an enormous playground to explore.
And because Meridian is mobile, we’re not committed to skiing one particular mountain.
Weather looking better somewhere else?
We sail there.
Fresh snow on another side of the fjord?
Let’s go.
Perfect conditions somewhere further north?
Cast off.
The itinerary is deliberately flexible. Mountains, weather, snow conditions and the
ambitions of the group will all help decide where we go.
Learn to Sail While on the Trip
As with all our trips, guests are encouraged to get involved as much as they want to.
To be “part of the ship and part of the crew” is something we firmly believe makes
our trips and your memories stand out.
We want everyone to learn along the way and guests can take more responsibility for
tasks if they want to.
If you’ve never sailed before, we’ll show you the basics.
You’ll learn how to:
- Hoist and trim the sails
- Helm the boat
- Read the wind
- Navigate
- Tie knots
- Handle lines
- Anchor in different conditions
- Keep watch
- Work as a crew
And if you’re already an experienced sailor, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to
get involved and develop your skills further.
There is something pretty satisfying about finishing a day of ski touring, coming
back aboard, getting the kettle on and then helping sail the boat towards tomorrow’s mountain.
Your transport, accommodation, kitchen, dining room and mountain basecamp — all in one.
A Typical Day
There isn’t really a typical day. Every day is unique and shaped by the sea and
mountain conditions.
But imagine something like this:
07:30 – Coffee & Breakfast
The boat is sitting quietly at anchor. Outside, the mountains are turning pink in
the morning light. We check the weather and snow conditions and decide where we’re heading.
08:30 – Dinghy Ashore
Skins on. Backpacks packed. Skis on our feet. And we’re off.
09:00–15:00 – Ski Tour
We climb through Arctic wilderness, stopping for snacks and spectacular views along
the way. Maybe it’s a gentle summit or maybe it’s a big mountain.
Maybe conditions dictate something completely different. The mountain decides.
15:00 – Back to Meridian
Skins off. Boots off. Hot drinks. Food. Stories from the day.
Maybe a sauna?
16:00 – Cast Off
We hoist the sails and start heading towards our next anchorage.
This is one of the magic parts of Sail and Ski. While other ski tourists are sitting
in a car driving to tomorrow’s mountain, we’re sailing there.
Evening – Dinner Under an Arctic Sky
We find a sheltered anchorage, cook meals together and eat around our comfortable
sitting area where we can play games and chat into the evenings while planning the
next day.
Look out for northern lights dancing overhead.
A Sample 7-Day Sail & Ski
This is an example rather than a fixed route. The actual itinerary will change
according to weather, snow, avalanche conditions, sailing conditions and the group’s interests.
Day 1 – Tromsø → The Arctic
Meet the boat, meet the crew, cast off.
We meet in Tromsø, get settled aboard Meridian and go through the boat, equipment
and safety routines. Then we leave the city behind.
Our first evening is about getting into expedition mode. A short sail.
Our first anchorage. Our first meal together. And the mountains waiting for us tomorrow.
Day 2 – First Summit
Wake up, enjoy our first morning with lots of coffee and breakfast while double
checking our route. After breakfast, we take the dinghy ashore and begin our first ski tour.
Depending on conditions, we might explore the mountains around the islands north of
Tromsø before sailing onwards towards Lyngen.
A nice first day to get comfortable with the group, the skis and life aboard Meridian.
Then back to the boat. Dinner. A few hours of sailing. New anchorage. New mountain.
Day 3 – Into Lyngen
The mountains start getting bigger. We sail deeper into the Lyngen region, surrounded
by large peaks rising straight from the fjords.
The tip of the Lyngen peninsula is a great starting point.
Today we choose our objective based on conditions and the group. For some, that could
mean a relaxed tour and a spectacular descent. For others, it’s time to start chasing
something bigger.
Either way: mountain → summit → ski down → boat → dinner.
Day 4 – Deeper into the Alps
This is where the expedition feeling kicks in. We wake up somewhere that would be
difficult or impossible to reach by road.
Another breakfast. Another mountain. Another route.
And if the conditions aren’t right for the original plan?
No problem.
That’s the beauty of having a boat. We move.
Day 5 – Off the Beaten Track
Today we can venture towards some of the islands and more remote areas around Lyngen.
The boat becomes our expedition vehicle and islands really are best travelled to by boat.
We enjoy quieter bays, mountains and fjords.
We might ski one mountain in the morning and sail several hours in the afternoon,
arriving at a completely different landscape for tomorrow.
Or we might find such good conditions that we stay exactly where we are.
There is no need to rush.
Day 6 – The Big Day
By now we’ve found our rhythm.
Sail. Ski. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
For those wanting a challenge, today could be our biggest ski objective of the trip.
Or we can enjoy the mountains at a more relaxed pace.
And then, one final sail into the evening.
Day 7 – Back to Tromsø
Our final morning. One last breakfast. One last look at the mountains.
Then we sail back towards Tromsø.
By now, Meridian should feel a little like home.
We’ll arrive back in Tromsø tired, happy, slightly salty and hopefully already
talking about the next adventure.
Seven days. A lot of mountains. A lot of sailing. And probably far too many stories.
Who Is This For?
The Complete Beginner
“I’ve never ski toured or sailed before.”
Come along. We’ll teach you.
The Intermediate Skier
“I want to explore proper ski touring but don’t need to climb a monster every day.”
You’re exactly who we’re looking for.
The Experienced Ski Tourer
“Give me big mountains and good snow.”
We’ll look for them.
The Experienced Sailor
“I’ve sailed before and want something different.”
Welcome aboard. Get involved.
The Adventurous Couple / Group of Friends
“We want a completely different kind of holiday.”
You’ve found it.
The Person Who Just Wants to Be Outside
“I don’t really care about summiting anything. I just want mountains, snow, ocean and adventure.”
Perfect.
