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At
last it's time for Galdhøpiggen! It has been on my wishlist for a long
time. I
park the car at Spiterstulen, 1102m, and is greeted with 5 degrees
celsius. But
the weather is wonderful, with clear air.
There are two normal routes to "piggen". This route, with its 1400+
altitude meters,
is for the "tough guys". The other alternative, from Juvasshytta with
only 600m+
is for the "softies".
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A
look to the south from 1440m. I climb 500m in the first hour = hard
opening pace. Maybe not so good, I got a little tired towards the end. |
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The
line" winding up at 1800m. Until here it's one fairly steep, exhausting
slope
without any good visibility ahead. |
But
from almost 1900m we can see the first peak, Svellnose, ahead. It
always lifts the morals to see where you are heading. |
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Further up we reach the cliffs down to
Styggebrean, providing good views. The trail follows the cliffs for a
while. |
A
group from Juvasshytta, passing Styggebrean up towards Galdhøpiggen.
They are connected with ropes and pass the glacier with a guide (costs
only 170 Nkr), to avoid the risk of falling down in a crevasse. To
enter this area alone is not advisable. |
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Up on Svellnose, 2272m. Ahead we can first
see Keilhaus topp, and behind it "piggen". |
The
descent from Svellnose is a bit steeper. Some choose the snowroute
down, on their backs, and it was VERY fast... It's also possible to
skip the top and walk diagonally across the glacier. I went that way
back. A little slippery but otherwise ok. |
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At
Keilhaus topp, 2355m. |
From
here we can see the last 150 altitude meters to "piggen". The route
crosses the glacier to the left (see the people walking there). The
crevasses further to the right clearly show, that one should follow the
trail here. We can also see people from Juvasshytta, climbing up on
their route from the right.
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High point at Galdhøpiggen. I remember a few
years ago, sitting on a mountain
top talking to a Norwegian. He said "there are so many people in the
Alps. Here
in Norway we have more of true wilderness". Well, yes, or...
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The
top cabin on "piggen", where you can buy something to eat and drink, or
why not a t-shirt with the text Galdhøpiggen, for 200Nkr. I didn't buy
one. |
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To the
southwest is Bukkehøe, 2314m, (to the left). More to the right and
further
behind is Storebjørn, 2222m. Hurrungane is in clouds to the right. |
With
its 2469m, Galdhøpiggen is the highest mountain in Scandinavia, and
northern Europe. The view from here is magnificent. The picture is
taken to the south. Ta the right you can see Tverrbottindane (among
others), that I climbed one month ago.
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On
the descent it can be a good choice to slide down the snowfields. The
slyles can vary... As for myself, it went considerably faster than I
had expected, but I managed to stay on my feet. |
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