Norwegian Mountains

Kupefjellet, 894m
Godbotnsfjellet, 877m (Geitskarfjellet)

Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Modalen
Maps : 1216-IV Matre (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : Godbotnsfjellet: 117m
Primary factor : Kupefjellet: 144m
Hiked : Aug 2004
See also : Sætrefjellet
See also : Svartetjørnfjellet
See also : Glennefjellet
See also : Høgenipa
See also : Storevasseggi
See also : I. Kvitevasseggene
Kupefjellet seen from Godbotnsfjellet

Kupefjellet seen from Godbotnsfjellet

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Introduction

Kupefjellet and Godbotnsfjellet are located on the south side of lake Godbotnsvatnet, not too far from Romarheimsdalen (highway E39 Bergen - Førde). The two mountains are part of a mountain range that is very accessible in summer thanks to a high mountain road that runs all the way to lake Svartavatnet.

There is no particular reason why these two mountains appear together on one page. This mountain range covers Austrebotnsrusti, Godbotnsfjellet, Kupefjellet, Instebotnsknolten, Sørdalsfjellet, Vellevasseggi and Høgenipa, with peaks such as Sørdalsnuten and Torrisskarfjellet connecting to this string of mountains. A walk across all these peaks is highly recommended. The lowest point is approx. 750m.

There are no main trails to Kupefjellet and Godbotnsfjellet from the north side. The normal way to access these peaks runs from Dyrkollbotnen and along the "T" trail running to the northeast. Access from the north is a bit shorter, and takes you quickly up to higher ground.

Primary factor:

Godbotnsfjellet (887m) has a primary factor of 117m towards the higher Austrebotnsrusti (894m). The saddle is found south of lake Øvstavatnet. You cross the 780m contours on the high route, but not the 760m. The saddle height is interpolated to 770m.

Kupefjellet (894m) has a primary factor of 144m towards the higher Instebotnknolten. The saddle is found SW of lake Sørdalsvatnet. You cross the 760m contours on the high route, but not 740m. The saddle height is interpolated to 750m.

Trail descriptions:

Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.

The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.

Lake Godbotnsvatnet - Godbotnsfjellet - Kupefjellet (summer)

Difficulty : Class 2
Exposure : No
Comments : Easy terrain
Distance : Approx. 4Km to Kupefjellet
Time : Approx. 2,5-3 hours to Kupefjellet (w/o pause)
Starting Elev.: Approx. 520m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 680m (total)

Map of the area
Map of the area
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Detailed map
Detailed map
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Access

From Bergen, follow highway E39 towards Førde. Pass the toll station on Nordhordlandsbrua (fee for passenger car per Aug 2004 is NOK 45,-) and continue 51,3Km northbound. Exit E39 right towards "Haugsdal". Continue approx. 200m and turn right. Continue another 200m and turn right again. You're now on the mountain road to lake Svartavatnet. Drive along lakes Storevatnet, Langevatnet and Gangløysa until you reach the dam at lake Godbotnsvatnet. Find parking near a cabin just before you reach the dam.

The route

Godbotnsfjellet

Hike up southbound towards point 715m. You cannot go anywhere you like, but it's not very difficult to follow a good route up this hill. From point 715m, follow a ridge that takes you all the way up to Godbotnsfjellet. You have clear view towards Austrebotnsrusti to your right, and at 800m elevation, you get lake Øvstavatnet in view. The Godbotnsfjellet summit is marked by a few standing rocks.

Kupefjellet

Walk along the Godbotnsfjellet northeast ridge and descend gradually down towards the north end of lake Geitaskarvatni. Walk up Kupefjellet's west ridge. The walk is steep, but it is not difficult finding a good route up. Those without head for heights may find this ascent airy after a while, but it is not really exposed. The Kupefjellet summit is marked by a few standing rocks.

Descent

My recommendation is to descend you ascent route. I descended via the Kupefjellet northeast ridge, crossed the river between lakes Vemundsvatnet and Godbotnsvatnet. This river crossing was a bit difficult after massive rain. If you are an experienced hiker, used to pass obstacles, then this route is an alternative. Getting down to the river involves steep terrain, but locating a good route should not be difficult. You may hang on to a bush for comfort here and there. After crossing the river, the mountain road is just a short walk away.

Trip Report Aug 22 2004

Troll was having female company for the week-end. It was raining cats and dogs on Saturday, but this Sunday was slightly better. Sunshine with the occasional passing rainshower. I had to take into account that the other dog (Tika) weren't quite as used to mountains as Troll. I wanted to this to be a mountain I hadn't been on before, and after some map studies, my choice fell on Godbotnsfjellet. Less than 400m ascent, above the tree line, over rock and grass.

We left the car 13:15PM. Tika was excited to be on the mountain, and Troll was excited about the company. No sit-down-protests this time. The hike up to Godbotnsfjellet was just as easy as I had expected. We arrived the summit 14:20PM. I gave the dogs one lunch-box each, and they digested it, fully focused. The weather was holding up. I could see a few rainshowers (serious ones) not too far away, but I wasn't able to predict which direction they were following.

It felt wrong having driven so far and end the hike here. I had done almost all mountains in this region, but the neighbour mountain - Kupefjellet - was still on the to-do list. The dogs looked fit, so I decided to continue. At this point, I realized that I would have to climb Godbotnsfjellet again for the return, but I could always carry the dogs if they got too tired.

Tika felt the descent down to lake Geitaskardvatni was a bit too steep and started to head back up to Godbotnsfjellet. I put her in the backpack. Troll must have realized that the "back-seat" was now taken, and continued to scramble among boulders and high grass. Not his favourite terrain. Down by the lake, the ascent to Kupefjellet would be steeper than I had anticipated. I kept Tika in the backpack and carried Troll in my arms. We reached Kupefjellet summit 15:10PM.

On Kupefjellet, I was facing two choices; a) Head back the same way or b) hike down to the river between lakes nedre Vemundsvatnet and Godbotnsvatnet. A crossing here would be the only option to get back to the mountain road on the other side. Failing to cross meant I would now have to climb both Kupefjellet and Godbotnsfjellet in order to get back to the car. I didn't get a good look at the river from Kupefjellet, but decided I would take my chances.

At 700m elevation, I had to determine if I should follow the ridge to the south end of lake Vemundsvatnet, or the ridge to the north end. From the south end, it would be impossible to reach the north end due to vertical cliffs. From my position, I could see the river at the north end was wide, and even if I didn't see the details in the water, the foam made me go for the south side. Descent involved some scrambling where I had to jump down, and stretch back up to pick up the dogs.

Finally down by the river, things looked complicated. I examined the drain to lake Godbotnsvatnet. This was a raging stream, and was quickly ruled out. I then investigated the western outlet of lake n. Vemundsvatnet. The river drained through a gorge, only approx. 3m wide, but quite wild. Above the gorge, the water seemed more quiet. Here, a rock (under water) looked like a place where I could cross. While holding on, I put my foot in the water. The foot was swept away, and there was no way I could keep it steady.

I considered a lake crossing just before this drain. The ford was cancelled when I had water up to my hips, and I still couldn't feel the bottom of the lake. Swimming with a dog on the back did not feel like an option. Now, dripping wet I was seriously thinking about climbing back up. The thought of carrying both dogs was not very inspiring, so I decided to take one more look at the rock above the gorge.

I figured the current would be less just above the rock. The current on the sides of the rock was too strong, so the rock was my only chance. There was no problems just jumping onto this rock, but would I be standing? I got a good handhold on the side and jumped backwards towards the rock. I was confident I would be able to hold on. The current was not as strong over this rock, and from my "rainbow" position (feet in the river, arms "on-shore") I was able to push myself to a standing position. I found a good handhold on the other side, and the solution was now in place. I moved back and secured Tika in the backpack, repeated the procedure and secured her in a leash on the other side. Then I went to get Troll. By now, the rainshowers had reached our area, but when you're soaked up to the hips, a rainshower doesn't make a big difference.

We headed up the mountain road and could continue with the 3,5Km back to the car. Tika was exhausted, and I had to carry her in the backpack. Troll was moving on. I guess he was thinking "This is all I know", as he was moving on, slightly ahead of me, with the face almost touching ground. More problems followed. I ran into a flock of sheep near a cattle grid. There was a steep drop down to the lake on my left and steep cliffs up to my right. There was no escape for the sheep. I assumed we would be able to calmly pass the sheep far to the left, but a few of them freaked out and went across the cattle grid. Fortunately, they didn't get stuck. The rest of the flock squeezed themselves into the mountain side while screaming in panic. I was of course carrying Troll to minimize the stress, but I simply *had to* follow the road. Once on the other side, I was able to "exchange ground" with the sheep that had escaped the cattle grid, and watched them jump back over. Without any accidents. By 17:15PM, we were back at the car. I put both dogs in the backseat. They did not open their eyes until we were back home.

Pictures from the Aug 22 2004 hike

Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.

1. Leaving the trailhead (204KB) 2. Panorama view, early on the trail (342KB) 3. Godbotnsfjellet within view (348KB) 4. Happy dogs in the mountains (193KB) 5. Below Godbotnsfjellet (202KB) 6. Lake below Godbotnsfjellet (176KB) 7. Lake Ovstavatnet (162KB) 8. Godbotnsfjellet summit view (364KB) 9. Godbotnsfjellet summit view (338KB) 10. Godbotnsfjellet summit view (473KB) 11. Godbotnsfjellet summit (122KB) 12. Sordalsnuten and Instebotnknolten (233KB) 13. Peculiar sand (222KB) 14. Kupefjellet (230KB) 15. On the way up Kupefjellet (168KB) 16. Lake Geitaskarvatni (191KB) 17. Troll and Tika on Kupefjellet (210KB) 18. Summit view from Kupefjellet (446KB) 19. Summit view from Kupefjellet (469KB) 20. Decision time (133KB) 21. On the way down to the river (239KB) 22. Crossing (178KB) 23. Failing crossing would send me down here (177KB) 24. Tika safely across (175KB) 25. On the mountain road (153KB) 26. Problematic encounter with sheep (191KB)

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Pictures from other hikes:

1. Sætrefjellet summit views, part 2/3 (1790KB)

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