Skiing on this site means guided cross-country courses, a backcountry trip, ski touring and a family evening, not downhill skiing at the lift. The options differ less in the trails than in what they expect from you and what they bring along. Our verdict rests on facts you can check on every listing.
Skill level
None of the beginner courses asks for experience. The backcountry trip by The Natural North recommends some skiing experience. The ski tours expect you to be confident on blue and red slopes, and the day tour adds off-piste skiing between trees; the night tour asks for no touring experience. Cross-country courses compared.
Clothing and equipment
Every beginner course includes skis, poles and boots. SkiTromsø also lends a jacket, trousers, a hat and gloves, Tromsø Outdoor rents winter clothing, and Tromsø Adventures states that clothing is not included. Whether touring skis, skins and boots are lent on the tours by The Natural North is not clear from the listings. What to wear.
Minimum age
SkiTromsø takes children from 6, Tromsø Adventures from 7 to 80 and Tromsø Outdoor from 12. The backcountry trip and the ski tours start at 14. The Arctic Fun evening with sledding and mini skis lists no minimum age. Skiing with children.
Getting to the start
Tromsø Outdoor is the only course with a transfer, from its shop at Fredrik Langes gate 14 to the trails at the top of Tromsøya. Tromsø Adventures and Arctic Fun meet at the Charlottenlund activity park, where bus 26 stops at Skoglyst, and SkiTromsø at Tromsø Ski Stadium, Dramsvegen 192. The tours by The Natural North start on Kvaløya, and transport there is not included. Where to ski.
Season and light
The beginner courses run from November to April, the easy ski touring day from December to May. Between late November and mid-January the sun does not rise; the night ski tour then runs in darkness with a headlamp and a chance of northern lights, and in February and March in long twilight. Best time to ski.
