Ice climbing and ice fishing in Abisko

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Abisko lies on Torneträsk, the sixth largest lake in Sweden, and the ice tours here use the long winter in two ways. One takes you to a frozen waterfall and puts you on vertical ice with crampons and two axes. The others take you out onto a lake to drill a hole and fish for Arctic char. Both are short, half-day activities with a pickup, so they fit easily around an aurora tour in the evening.

Neither needs any experience. They differ in effort, in age limits and in what you have to bring yourself, and those details are worth checking before you choose.

Ice climbing on a frozen fall

The climbing tour lasts about three hours and starts with a pickup from your accommodation in Abisko or from Hotell Fjället in Björkliden. The guide is UIAA-certified and the group stays small; one reviewer counted six guests. You are fitted with alpine boots, crampons, a harness and a helmet, then ride a short way to the icefall. After an introduction to the gear and the basic moves, you climb the vertical ice.

The minimum age is 10. The tour is not suitable for people with heart problems, recent surgery or limited mobility, and it is not accessible for wheelchair users. Guiding is in English and Swedish.

Two things are not included. Warm clothing is your own responsibility, which matters more here than on the fishing trips, because you spend a fair part of the tour standing at the foot of the ice while others climb. Food and drinks are not provided either, so a flask of something hot is a good idea.

The criticism in reviews is consistent and fair to know in advance. Fitting the gear, the transfer and the briefing take time, and several guests felt they climbed only a few routes of around ten metres. If you expect three hours of climbing, you will be disappointed. If you want to try the movement on real ice, the tour gives you that.

Ice fishing on Torneträsk and smaller lakes

Ice fishing is the slower option. You drill a hole through the ice, lower a line and wait. The lakes around Abisko hold Arctic char, grayling and burbot. Early in the winter, before the ice on the big lake is reliable, both operators fish on smaller lakes nearby. Later in the season they go out onto Torneträsk.

The lake explains why the operators wait. Torneträsk covers about 331 square kilometres and is up to 168 metres deep. SMHI has observations of freeze-up and break-up going back to 1873, and when ice thickness was measured, from 1958 to 2012, a metre of ice was not unusual; the thickest recorded was 112 centimetres, in 1966. The operators decide when and where the ice will hold, and walking out on your own is not something this guide can advise on.

Keep in mind that fishing and hunting are banned throughout Abisko National Park, so do not try your luck inside the park on your own. On the tours, the guide picks the lake.

Two fishing tours compared

Experience Abisko runs a two-hour lesson for guests from 7 years. You go out by car or snowmobile, the guide shows you how to drill the holes and how to use the rod, and bait, gear, warm drinks, a light snack and warm outer clothing are included. Thermal underwear, warm socks and the fishing licence are not. The licence can be bought online or at the Godisfabriken supermarket in Abisko. Pickup is offered from Abisko Mountain Lodge, STF Abisko Turiststation, Abisko Guesthouse and the operator's own base. One reviewer put the main risk plainly: you cannot make the fish bite in the time you have.

Activities in Abisko takes children from 5 years, the lowest age limit on this page. Early in the season a minibus takes the group to a smaller lake; later a snowmobile goes out onto Torneträsk. The plan includes a fire, a wooden hut and frying your catch on the spot, with transfer, warm clothing and hot drinks included. Reviews of this tour are more mixed. One guest found that the snowmobile ride, the hut and the fire described in the listing did not happen, and another had trouble getting down a steep, snowy bank to the lake. If those elements matter to you, ask what is planned for your date.

When the ice tours run

None of the listings gives fixed season dates. Going by when reviewers took part, ice climbing runs from about November to April, with most guests between January and March. The fishing tours follow a similar pattern, from late autumn to early spring, depending on when the lakes freeze.

Daylight changes a lot over that period. Around the polar night, from 6 December to 6 January, the sun does not rise above the horizon in Abisko at all, although there are still about five hours of twilight around midday. By 1 February it rises at about 9:00 and sets before 15:00, and on 1 March it is up from about 7:00 to almost 17:00. Late winter therefore gives you more time on the ice in daylight and better light for photos. Our page on the polar night explains what the dark weeks feel like.

It is cold out on the ice. SMHI's normal for 1991 to 2020 gives Abisko a mean of about minus 10 degrees in January and February and minus 6.5 in March, and wind across the open lake makes it feel colder. Standing still by a hole chills you faster than walking, so pack more layers than you think you need. The what to wear page has a full list.

Fitting an ice tour into your days

Both activities last two to three hours with pickup, which leaves the rest of the day free. One way to plan it is an ice tour in the late morning, when the light is best, and an aurora tour after dark. If you prefer to keep moving, a guided snowshoe walk is the obvious counterpart; see snowshoeing and hiking. Ice climbing is the more physical choice and suits teenagers and adults. Ice fishing is calmer and works for families with younger children, as long as everyone is dressed warmly enough to stand still for an hour.