15 - 23 August Norway Lyngen Alps - Arctic Alpine Adventure

The Lyngen Alps are a range of alpine mountains in the north of Norway near Tromso. The mountains lie on a peninsula separated by deep cut fjords on both sides and are surrounded by slightly more modest hills with a 'Scottish' character. The main mountain and a prime objective of the meet is Jiehkkivarri (1834m), which despite its modest altitude is a complex massif with a series of icecaps and glaciers and has been described as 'The Mt Blanc of the North'. The rest of the area is equally impressive. The main thrust of the meet will be making alpine style ascents of these peaks. The scope for technical climbing is less clear (to me at least).

The meet is scheduled around a 'core week', with flexibility to arrive earlier / depart later with a view to visiting other worthy areas in northern Norway, such as Stetind or Lofoten. At this time of year it will be light for most if not all of the day.

Accommodation : It is planned to based the meet around Lyngseidet, which is centrally placed on the main Lyngen Peninsula. Norwegian campsites offer a mix of traditional camping or hutte (simple wooden huts) that can be rented instead of a taking a tent.

Travel : For those with time to spare (a few weeks) there is scope for a fantastic road trip taking in a variety of good climbing areas en route to the far north. However, the ferry link to Norway from the UK has recently stopped. For those with limited time flying is the only realistic option. It is possible to travel to Tromso from most UK airports in a day with SAS. Perhaps ironically, it is easier to get to Norway from London than anywhere in the North. The Manchester flight goes via Copenhagen and Oslo before getting to Tromso. Current internet price with SAS from Manchester - Tromso return is between £350 - £460 depending on day of travel. Direct flights to Oslo from both Stanstead and Heathrow are on offer with competing airlines and Norwegian airlines fly Tuesdays & Saturdays from Stansted to Tromso for 131 euros return around the dates of the meet. Hiring a car from Tromso would give the best flexibility in terms of climbing options. For those interested, it will be possible to coordinate this aspect of the travel as far as practical.

Maps & Guidebooks: See 'Walks & Scrambles in Norway' A Dyer, J Baddeley & I Robertson for more info. In addition, 'Scandinavian Mountains', P Lennon provides a good overview of Norwegian climbing areas if you can find a copy. Maps are Norwegain 1 : 50,000 series:

1634 III : Lyngen
1634 IV : Lyngstuva
1533 I : Lavangsdalen
1633 IV : Storfjord.

An expression of interest before Easter 2009 would be helpful to determine whether there is enough interest to run the meet. Paul Cook 01946 67837