About

About the Festival 

Welcome to the Arctic Ice Festival!

We are happy to meet you soon and spend an extraordinary time together.

To get to know us a little better and learn about the origin and idea of our Festival we  created this page with profiles and interviews of the people who organise the event.

Until then: Ha det gøy! Have fun and play safe!

The Arctic Ice Team

Tor Ivar Lyngmo

Tor is the owner and runner of the Fjellkysten and one of the main forces behind the Festival. A true Troms local since generations he loves the long winters in the far north filled with snow and ice and his enthusiasm and drive for the outdoors are infectious. He loves to share his knowledge and experience of the region with every traveler and climber passing by.

Here a short interview to get to know Tor a little bit better:

How and when was the idea of the Arctic Ice Festival born ?

In 2009 we saw that ice climbing took place in the Spansdalen and in the Flågberget and realised that many of these were international guests. We contacted the climbing environment to learn more about this activity. We started a collaboration with, Narvik climbing club with my son Jon Sneve Lyngmo, Tromsø climbing club with Sjur Næsheim and the Norwegian alpine club with Marius Morstad. This resulted in the first festival already in 2010. About 50 climbers from 8 nations participated.

What is your connection to Ice climbing ?

My attachment to climbing and ice climbing especially is through my son. He introduced me to the basics of ice climbing and was the one who gave us contact with key people in the environment.

I learned quickly to know the environment and today greatly appreciate the atmosphere around the climbers and their activity.

What is your background ?

I was born and raised in this region. Having become acquainted with many people who are not used to winter, ice and snow, I have to call myself a winter child. I grew up in the snow and throughout the winter we were out skiing,  made fun ski-jumps, made exciting downhill trails, made snow holes and snow showers. Therefore, snow and ice became natural elements of our upbringing at I’m therefor strongly attached to the winter season. As an adult, I did ordinary pre-service in the military.

Since when do you run the Fjellkysten and what is the idea behind?

I bought Fjellkysten in 2008 and the idea behind was to create a basecamp for people who want to experience nature and also enjoy good cultural events. In the winter, you can go hiking and snowshoeing, ice climbing, skiing and northern light chasing. In the summer we have a lot of hiking trails and you can go fishing either at the sea or in the rivers and mountain lakes.

What makes the area around Fjellkysten so special?

This is an arctic fjord landscape with high mountains that plunge straight into the sea. When you stay at Fjellkysten you are basically in the nature. The surrounding area offers  a great diversity of activities.There are frozen waterfalls all over the place and a great variety of mountain peaks that present challenges as well in summer as in winter. We have clean air and are the least polluted area in Norway and perhaps even in whole Europe. We have two international airports within an hour's drive (although they are small). We also have the worlds northernmost wildlife center in our neighbourhood, the Polar park.

Any advice for the participants of the event? 

It is always good to get acquainted to the area before you arrive. The weather in the area can change very quickly so it is important to be prepared. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.