Norwegian Mountains, HordalandNipahøgdi, 1375m
Nipahøgdi seen from below Vassfjøra
IntroductionNipahøgdi rises high above the place Osa by Osafjorden, a branch of Hardangerfjorden. The mountain is not very prominent, and is hard to identify when seen from distant mountains. The summit rises 100-150m above a plateau that in turn connects with the huge plateau towards Finse and Hardangerjøkulen glacier. The easiest route runs from Floskefonndalen valley. In summer/autumn, you can drive up to Rundavatnet at 1050m elevation, and be on the top 1,5 hours later (or less). This is the route described on this page. If you want to hike Nipahøgdi from a lower trailhead, then you can hike the Osa - Ossete - Hallingskeid trail up to the Osaskavlen - Nipahøgdi plateau. When the Austdalen road opens up around Easter, all tops around Lake Langvatnet are nice skiing tops.
Primary factor:Nipahøgdi (Norge 1:50,000: 1375m, Økonomisk Kartverk (ØK): -, UTM 32 V 395891 6720985) has a primary factor of 145m towards the higher parent mountain Osaskavlen (1480m). The defining saddle (approx. UTM 32 V 397133 6722811) is found along the ridge between the two mountains. Ref. Norge 1:50,000 (20m contours), the saddle is within the range 1220-1240m, interpolated to 1230m.
Google map
Google's interactive map. You can zoom, pan and click on the markers.
Trail descriptions
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Route 1: Floskefonnsdalen - Nipahøgdi (summer/autumn)
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Access
This route description was valid per Aug 2008. All distances are approx. distances
The nearest larger city is Bergen. From Bergen, two directions can be followed:
a) Follow E16 towards Oslo. Exit onto highway RV7 at Trengereid, drive down to Samnangerfjorden, across Kvamskogen and down to Norheimsund. Follow highway RV7 northbound all the way to Ulvik.
b) Follow E16 towards Oslo. From Voss, exit onto highway RV13 towards Ulvik (through Vallaviktunnelen, follow signs to Bruravik and Ulvik)
From the RV572 junction in Ulvik, follow the road towards Osa (9,3Km). At Osa, turn left in the first junction (marked "Hallingskeid/Uppsete"). Follow the road upwards towards lake Langavatet. After approx. 1,4Km from the last road junction, pay toll at an unmanned booth on your left-hand side (NOK 30,- for passenger cars per Aug '08).
Continue upwards in Austdalen, and after approx. 10Km from the road junction, you enter another road junction. Turn left (the road to the right runs to lake Langvatnet). Drive upwards. The road becomes a gravel road. Ignore the first road going left, then turn left in the next junction (1,3Km from where you left the Langvatnet road). Continue 1,5Km towards Lake Austdølnutvatnet. Find parking by or nearby the dam. The road continues, but is in bad shape, and the road may be blocked by snow higher up (Aug 31 2008, the road was blocked by snow in two places)
The route
Follow the road until it ends in Floskefonndalen. Head up a gentle slab area, then either continue southwest until you reach the plateau near point 1229m, or just head west towards Nipahøgdi. A long band of cliffs will reduce the number of places you can ascend, but it won't take you long to find a good route to the top, which is marked by a small cairn.
Alternatively, you can early on ascend
the cliffs down by the road. If you find yourself standing above
a lake, either go left and enter
the plateau on the far side, or head across the 1160m contour north of this
lake, turn left and descend to the lake's north side before you head up to the
plateau. Once on the plateau, head towards
Nipahøgdi and stay left of the lake
at approx. 1190m.
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