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Skarpefjellsnakken |
Skarpefjellsnakken is the highest mountain on the large area south of Sognefjorden, north of Masfjorden and west of highway E39. Most of this area belongs to Sogn and Fjordane Fylke, but Skarpefjellsnakken and the neighbour mountain Yndesdalsnakken belongs to Hordaland Fylke and Masfjorden kommune.
Seen from Yndesdalsnakken, Skarpefjellsnakken presents itself with a characteristic profile. The mountain is easily accessible thanks to a high forest road, and easy terrain. Skarpefjellsnakken is on the "Turtrim" program for Brekke I.L. "Turtrim" is a list of named peaks that people come to visit. Skarpefjellsnakken gives the highest score - 20 points.
If weather permits, you will have views that reach far. Unless you know this region well, you will perhaps not be able to identify a large number of mountains in your view, but some mountains stand out. In the west, you see the towers on Brossviksåta, further north, the Lifjell massif at Hyllestad. Bleia and Kvamshesten on the other side of Sognefjorden is also easy to identify. In the north-east and east, an "endless" string of Stølsheimen mountains dominates your view. In the south, you see Matre mountains and in the far background, you see the Bergen mountains, Ulriken and Lyderhorn. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the Jostedalsbreen glacier in the north-east.
Names and heights
The M711 map and the new GPS vector map (Map Source) creates some confusion about Yndesdalsnakken. On the M711 map, the mountain is named Yndesdalsnakken, but no height is given. Only Steinskardfjellet further SW is given height - 658m. On the vector map, the summit is named Stendarskarfjellet (679m), while Yndesdalsnakken is the lower eastern summit.
Geirsvadklumpen, a neighbour to Skarpefjellsnakken in the east, is not a name used by the locals. This mountain is locally known as Gamlebrekkeggji. Neither Geirsvadklumpen, Vetlefjellet or Brattefjellet has a primary factor of 100m or more, and as such, I do not consider these mountains separate mountains.
The cabins below Skarpefjellsnakken is referred to as Kallhovdasætret and Kalhovdasætra on the two maps. I have used the first name (M711 version) on this page.
Primary Factor
Skarpefjellsnakken has a primary factor of 525m, towards the higher Dukefjellet. The "saddle" is just north of Geirevatnet, east of Skarpefjellsnakken. The last adjacent 5m contours (Norgesglasset) on the high route are 255m, giving an interpolated saddle height of 253m.
Yndesdalsnakken has a primary factor of 126m, towards the higher Skarpefjellsnakken. The "saddle" is on the ridge between lake Sulevatnet and lake Aurtjørna. The last adjacent 5m contours (Norgesglasset) on the high route are 555m, giving an interpolated saddle height of 553m.
Note: Class ratings are in reference to YDS (Yosemite Decimal System).
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Kalhovda - both summits - round-trip (summer)
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Access
From Bergen, follow E39 northbound. Pass the toll at Nordhordalandsbrua bridge and continue northbound to the junction at Kringla, approx. 66,7Km from the toll booth. Turn left towards "Sløvåg / Duesund" and follow this road for approx. 4,2Km. Exit right towards "Kalhovda". Follow a narrow, paved road for approx. 700m and go left in the first junction. Drive approx. 250m and turn left in the next junction. You're now on a gravel road. Follow this road for approx. 300m and go right in the next junction. Follow this road steep upwards for approx. 800m. This is the road end. Park here. Note that the last 500m is quite steep, and the last hill may require the lowest gear.
The route
Cross the bridge and locate the trail just on the other side. The trail is easy to follow the first minutes, but when you hit a flat rock area, the trail disappears. Turn left, upwards and trust your instincts. If you use good judgement, you'll pick up the trail higher up. If you don't find the trail, just head on upwards. In any case, you will end up close enough to Kallhovdasætret.
From the cabins at Kallhovdasætret, locate a faint path behind the cabin closest to the mountain. The path maintains a 1 o'clock direction up the Kupegga ridge. Move left towards the high edge of the ridge after a while, and follow the high ridge all the way to Skarpefjellsnakken summit. You will find two cairns on the summit, and the main cairn (NW on the summit) is a truly proper cairn. This is where you find the summit register. Descend your ascent route or read on.
Descend down the west ridge and across "Stigen". Down by the lakes, this ridge separates lake Sulevatnet and lake Aurtjørna. From here, either hike up the convenient slopes to the eastern summit on Yndesdalsnakken, or head towards the pass between the two summits and follow an obvious ridge all the way to the top. The Yndesdalsnakken summit cairn is a modest cairn, without a summit register.
Descend south for a little bit, until you gain the ridge leading to the lower eastern summit. Cross over this one and head straight east down to lake Fitjetjørna. Cross the drain from this lake on the south side and you will get on a trail that takes you back to Kallhovdasætret cabins.
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For some time, the plan was to celebrate the national day on a high, prominent mountain. But as I had planned a longer ski trip with my friend Petter the next day, I decided to just relax and enjoy some lower peaks in the Masfjorden area. Skarpefjellsnakken was an excellent choice - free of snow, the highest in a large region, high primary factor (compared to other Hordaland mountains), not too far away, and a good option for a round-trip, including a second mountain - Yndesdalsnakken. I felt utterly anti-social as I left Bergen, where the crowds were heading downtown in their finest clothes. I pictured the parades, music, baloons, flags, icecream, hot dogs, parking chaos and the crowds. A profound, inner peace grew as I drove away from it all. After asking around at Kalhovda, I reached the trailhead 12:45PM. The weather was lovely, and I knew I would have a great day in these mountains. Within minutes, I already had a great view towards the Matre mountains in the south. Within 15 minutes or so, I reached the cabins at Kallhovdasætret. The flag signaled that there were people in the cabins. I knocked on the door and asked some questions about the route I had planned. They were nice people, and we could have chatted for hours, but after 15 minutes, it was time to move on. A small trail took me onto the Kupegga ridge, which I followed all the way to the summit. I signed the guestbook at 13:45PM, as #9 in 2003. Even if I lost the trail early on the ridge, the terrain was surprisingly easy. The majority of people would enjoy this hike. The guestbook had a column for birth year, and the oldest visitor in 2003 was born in 1938. Based on the last names, it looked like three generations had visited this summit one day in April. I left the summit 14:10PM, and a 25 minute summit stay must be a new personal record. But it was just a lovely day. I hiked down the west ridge towards "Stigen" and then between lake Sulevatnet and a smaller pond before I headed up to the pass between the two Yndesdalsnakken summit. I reached the main summit 15:00PM and enjoyed a 10 minute break on top. I then took a direct route towards the cabins, passing the small lake Fitjatjørni. Here I picked up a trail that took me straight down to the cabins. Back at the cabins (16:10PM), the owners (Mrs. and Mr. Skuggedal) invited me in for coffee and food. This was a pleasant end to the hike. We chatted for half an hour about mountains and the local geography. I found it particularly interesting to learn about a local plant - Alveld (Norwegian word) that a.o. blinded the sheep. In fact, the black sheep seemed to do better than the white ones. A possible remedy was to bring the sheep into a dark room. I was also told there were eagles in the territory, and they were quite clever in chasing goats off the mountain. After thanking the couple for a nice chat and great hospitality, I began the final descent back to the trailhead. I reached the car 16:50PM, and headed home to Bergen.
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Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.
Pictures are presented in the order they were taken.
Other hordaland mountains
Other Masfjorden K. mountains
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