Norwegian Mountains, Sogn og Fjordane

Hest & Grøndalseggi on skis, May 2 2010


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Following Sogndal Turlag to Hest and Grøndalseggi

Following Sogndal Turlag to Hest and Grøndalseggi
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Hest is one of Anne Rudsengen's favourite mountains - well documented in her Opptur book.  On May 2 2010, Anne and Finn Loftesnes was scheduled to lead a group of skiers up to Hest - a trip organized by Sogndal Turlag. My personal interest in Hest (it's a mighty fine peak) had grown during the winter, and as I (cough...) happened to be in the region, I decided to come along.

But if I were to take the trip all the way up to Hest, I also wanted to visit Såta (1700m) - 1km further to the northwest. If I were not officially part of the group, this would be no problem. I could tag along for a while, then advance, pass Hest and visit Såta and rendezvous with the Group on Hest or further down. I told about Anne my plans, and she would inform the group that "that guy isn't officially here", or something up that alley.

The meeting point was in Sogndal, and the group (consisting of 9 participants, 2 guides and me) split up in groups and drove up to the starting point (430m) in Leirdalen. The weather was superb, and I really, really looked forward to this trip. Anne introduced me as some kind of a freelance photographer - not officially part of the group. Excellent! Now I had my degrees of freedom, and at 10am, we were on our way to Hest.

 

On the way to Hest

On the way to Hest
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From Lake Tunsbergdalsvatnet, we switch backed up the forest, aiming for a cabin at 730m. The group was diverse, ranging from very experienced mountaineers to people who worried that the mountain would be too steep. A girl brought her dog, which were covering 3-4 times the distance of the humans. Everyone was in a good mood, and there was good time for necessary technical adjustments as we reached the cabin.

After a short break, we proceeded upwards, and a late skier had joined the group. The pace was overall good, and I started thinking about my advance plan. At approx. 1100m, Anne called for lunch and I decided to move on. Anne repeated to the group that I was not an official member - just "something she found in her apartment this morning". I figured I would have enough time to reach Såta and join the group on Hest. I skied fast up to Nonskar, ascended the first part of the ridge and could see that the group (far down below) prepared to move on. I had good control of the time and the terrain ahead was just fantastic!

 

En route to Hest

En route to Hest
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Approaching Hest, I noticed that the snow got gradually harder, and I felt a growing concern. I left my skis at 1500m, and began to make steps upwards. The snow was hard, but it wasn't solid ice. Besides the steps, the ice-axe was my lifeline. Halfway up the ridge, I failed climbing a cornice, but found a way around, further to the left.

As I reached the crux - a small cliff with a crack (1583m and approx. 50m below the summit), I decided to not proceed. The crack had mixed type of snow (soft, hard, and in parts - none at all). I was not tempted to keep on climbing without an additional axe or crampons (I had borrowed a pair of crampons from Anne, but they didn't fit). I considered seeking further left of the cliff, but I also had to take the exposure into consideration. If I slipped, it might be too late for a self-arrest. From an objective point of view, if I pushed it - I would certainly reach the top, but I just don't like steep and hard snow with just one ice-axe. It's that plain and simple. 

If I were to reach the top and feel safe at the same time, I would have to wait for Anne (and the group) and borrow her axe. But what about the others? I felt that this route required some experience, and since an organized trip such as this is meant to be safe, I would advise against ascending this ridge with just ski poles. And as such, I felt it would be quite selfish to climb this peak alone. I headed back down to wait for the group. In the end, they would have to make the choice. The mountain would still be there, and I could always come back.

 

The group is approaching Hest

The group is approaching Hest
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When the group arrived, I filed my report and left it up to Anne and Finn to decide what to do next. No one questioned my observations or announced that they wanted to give it a try. I suggested that we could ski Grøndalseggi instead - at least we would get us a mountain top. This plan was quickly adopted, and we turned around. 

As we left Hest, three skiers (having ascended the east ridge) were on the way down the south ridge. With mixed feelings, we watched them climb down the cliff where I had turned around. But these skiers (Anne knew one of them) were experienced. One of them was based in Leirdalen and had been to Hest numerous times. It always helps to know the terrain inside and out...

 

Leaving Hest behind

Leaving Hest behind
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On a mountain ridge such as this, with views both towards Jostedalen and Veitastrondvatnet, it's hard to be very disappointed. We stopped for a break before Nonskar and enjoyed the wonderful views in all directions. After the break we moved on and descended into Nonskar. The final hill before Nonskar was a bit steep, and I learned that the girl with the dog had turned around during the ascent. Two other skiers chose not to ascend Grøndalseggi and began their descent from Nonskar. The rest of the group continued up the (approx.) 100 vertical meters up to Grøndalseggi, and reached the high point 3:20pm - 5h:20m after heading out.

 

On Grøndalseggi

On Grøndalseggi
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Compared to its neighbours, Grøndalseggi does not exactly stand out, but it's a perfectly good mountain top, and the view was still superb. We now had 1000 vertical metres of nice skiing ahead of us, the there was absolutely nothing to complain about! We could descend directly from the summit and join our ascent route further down. The frequent transitions between hard and soft snow tended to appear a bit sudden and most of the group chose to descend in a controlled fashion.   

 

Descending Grøndalseggi

Descending Grøndalseggi
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The group was now splitting up, and everyone was free to descend in their own pace and style. I returned to the trailhead 4:20pm - 6h:20m after heading out. The last two skiers arrived approx. one hour later - safely accompanied by Finn. 

I've said this before, but spring skiing in Sogn of Fjordane county (and especially on or near Jostedalsbreen) beats everything. But as I haven't skied in the Lyngen alps yet, I just might have to eat my words one day. My personal opinion (which I shared with Anne) was that Hest (on this route, and especially with these snow conditions) is perhaps slightly too advanced for a regular group of skiers. She seemed to make a mental note of my point. And now I only look forward to the return, preferably along the east ridge and - a visit to Såta...

This trip has now been extensively covered in the media and on the internet. One of the skiers was a journalist in Sogn Avis, and Anne wrote a pitch for Turistforeningen.

Article in Sogn Avis

Article in Sogn Avis
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Turistforeningen article

Turistforeningen article
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pdf - whole article

 

Pictures

The pictures were taken with a Canon EOS 450D + Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS USM F 4-5.6

 
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To a cabin at 730m

0. Trip tracks 1. Toll road 2. Hest 3. The trailhead 4. On the way 5. Technical adjustments 6. Hest 7. Anne and Finn - the guides 8. You are now live on facebook... 9. So far, so good! 10. Aiming for a cabin 11. Winding up the forest 12. Anne, quite satisfied... 13. Pause at the cabin

To Nonskar

14. Hest 15. Moving on 16. A line is being formed 17. Leirdalen 18. Easy terrain 19. Not just hard work 20. The terrain is getting steeper 21. View down 22. The line is breaking... 23. A very busy dog 24. Yup, there is every reason to smile 25. Attitude 26. The ridge gets closer 27. Nonskar in view 28. Pause below Nonskar

To Hest (alone)

29. On the ridge 30. On the ridge 31. Looking back 32. Approaching Hest 33. Looking back on the ridge 34. Up the south ridge 35. The group has reached the ridge 36. View across Veitastrondvatnet 37. My turnaround point 38. The group is on the way 39. Vetlebukken 40. Storebukken 41. Eldedalen 42. The group arrives at the south ridge 43. Looking back on the steep section 44. Discussions

To Grøndalseggi

45. Plan B - Grøndalseggi 46. Looking back on Hest 47. Spring in Sogn og Fjordane... 48. Supphellenipa 49. Wide-angle view from the ridge 50. Wide-angle view from the ridge 51. Hurrungane 52. 3 other skiers, descending Hest 53. On top of the world 54. Descending with skins on 55. Stunning landscape 56. To Grøndalseggi 57. A short break 58. Moving on 59. A steep hill above Nonskar 60. Ascending Grøndalseggi 61. The group, ascending Grøndalseggi 62. The group arrives on Grøndalseggi 63. On Grøndalseggi

Wide-angle view from Grøndalseggi

64. Wide-angle view from Grøndalseggi

Descent

65. Asbjørnnosi 66. Hest 67. Descending Grøndalseggi 68. Looking back on the ridge 69. Still many vertical metres to go 70. Smooth sailing 71. Fun, fun and fun 72. There is also time to catch the views 73. Lots of section with an icy crust 74. Two skiers on their way up .. somewhere 75. A rougher surface near the cabin 76. Leirdalen

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