Fylke/Kommune : |
Møre og Romsdal
county/Rauma municipality |
Maps : |
1320-II Eresfjord (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
1319-I Romsdalen (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
|
Primary factor : |
Kvanndalstinden: 174m
Torshammeren: 15-20m |
Hiked : |
May 2013 |
See also : |
|
See also : |
Other Møre og Romsdal
mountains on westcoastpeaks.com |
Kvanndalstinden
(Click for larger image)
Introduction
Kvanndalstinden extends
the Venjetindan ridge towards the south and is one of most
spectacular peaks in the Romsdal region. Arguably, Slingsby
claimed that this was the steepest mountain in Europe! It is also one of
the 7 peaks which makes you a Fjellkonge (mountain King) or
Fjelldronning (mountain Queen) if you've completed this magnificent list
of peaks;
- Dronninga, 1544m
- Gjuratinden, 1712m
- Kongen, 1614m
- Kvanndalstinden, 1744m
- Romsdalshornet, 1550m
- Store Trolltind, 1788m
- Store Venjetind, 1852m
In order to get to the
summit, you need to climb! Although the upper part of the mountain is
very steep, the climbing is easy - Norwegian grade 2-3. But this does
not mean that this is an easy top to reach! The ascent from Vengedalen
(the normal route) is approx. 6km and includes crossing rugged terrain
and a glacier, exposed scrambling and easy climbing.
If the snow can to be
trusted, this is also a nice spring ski-trip. The critical sections are the ascent
from Vengedalen and up to Olaskarsvatnet, and the traversal of the
couloirs before Torshammaren. The snow has to be
reliable here.
The guiding companies
state that this is a 9-11 hour trip (summer/autumn) and that no previous climbing experience
is a requirement. That said, some experience with this type of mountain
terrain would probably come in very useful...
Torshammeren is an
extraordinary pinnacle located closed to Kvanndalstinden.
The climbing is approx. 20 meters, graded 2-3 (easy). The final move to the top
is the hardest.
Torshammeren
(Click for larger image) Primary factor:
Kvanndalstinden
(1468m, UTM 32 V 441054 6929760)
has a primary factor of 174m
towards the higher parent Venjetindan. The saddle
(32 V 440502 6929932) is found in on the lowest point on the ridge between
Kvanndalstinden and Søre Venjetind. Ref. Norge 1:50,000 (20m
contours),
the saddle is within the range 1560-1580m, interpolated to 1570m.
View from Kvanndalstinden
(Click for larger image)
Google map
Google's interactive map. You can zoom, pan and click on the markers.
Route descriptions
This disclaimer is
regarding all of the literature and instructional guides posted on the
westcoastpeaks.com website.
These instructions are guidelines only, and should not be used in lieu
of common sense or judgment when attempting any of the actions involved
or instructed. Westcoastpeaks nor myself will not be liable nor will it
indemnify any form of compensation to anyone who has injured, harmed or
even killed themselves or others while following any of the instructions
written within the website.
It should be noted by any persons willing to undertake any of the
instructions provided that mountains offer varying levels of risk,
regardless of size or incline. Risks to be considered are as follows but
not limited to: wild animals, weather, the terrain, bad judgment,
inappropriate or insufficient equipment, improper training or experience
and of course, bad luck... |
Route 1: Venjedalen - Kvanndalstinden (summer/autumn)
Difficulty : |
YDS
Class 4 (Norwegian 3) |
Exposure : |
Yes |
Comments : |
Advanced trip. Scrambling, climbing, glacier
crossing. |
Distance : |
Approx. 12,5km total |
Time : |
Approx. 9-11 hours
(guided) |
Starting Elev.: |
Approx. 710m |
Vertical Gain : |
Approx. 1100m (total) |
|
|
This route description is valid per
September
2014
Access
(all distances are approx. distances)
The starting point for this route
description is Åndalsnes. The nearest city with an airport is Molde.
From Åndalsnes, drive east along
RV64 towards Isfjorden and Molde. After approx. 5km, turn right (32 V
437442 6938380) towards Liabygda. Drive 750 meters and turn right
(32 V 438052 6938653) again at the second Liabygda signpost. Continue
2,9km to the southeast and turn right (32 V 440070 6936794) at the Venjedalen
signpost. Pay toll (NOK 50,- for passenger cars) and drive 7,3km to the
upper parking (32 V 438409 6930219) in Venjedalen.
Many of the Romsdalen peaks
require an early start, and it's quite common that hikers and climbers come late
in the evening and sleep in their cars or in tents.
Venjedalen
(Click for larger image)
The route:
The route
(Click for larger image)
ASCENT
A
visible path runs from the Venjedalen trailhead and up to
Lake Hornvatnet. From the lake, the route runs
southwest - in the direction of Halls Renne on Romsdalshornet. The path upwards
is partly marked (small cairns and red paint) and relatively easy to follow. You
will cross a few slab sections. Be careful if they are wet and slippery.
At. approx. 1040m, the
route turns east and crosses Olaskarstinden's
north ridge at approx. You
then arrive at Lake Olaskarsvatnet. Follow the north shore and aim for
the Venjetindan ridge a bit north of point 1257m. Pay attention to
sporadic cairns along the way.
Cross the
Venjetindan
ridge from approx. 1280m to 1400m. You now have a clear view of
the
glacier in front of you. One option is to walk below the glacier
front and enter the glacier
closer to the mountain massif. Chances are
good that you get fewer
crevasses to deal with.
The GOOD side of the glacier
(Click for larger image)
Once on the glacier, aim
for the lowest point on the ridge between Venjetindan and
Kvanndalstinden. Getting OFF the glacier might or might not be
trivial. There is a - reasonable obvious -
scrambling route that
you can follow. This route is more pleasant during ascent. Some may
choose to rappel this route upon return. You can also follow the
glacier higher up and enter the ridge closer to S. Venjetinden, but you
will have to scramble across some steep humps before you reach the
lowest point on the ridge.
Once on the
main ridge, you
have approx 0,3km of nice walking and easy scrambling before a
20 meter
pitch makes the rope come out for most people passing through here. The
lower part is easy, but the
upper part is YDS class
4 climbing.
Next comes
a fun leg
which lasts all the way to the point where you begin the real climb
towards Kvanndalstinden. A distinct
spire (in lack of a better
word) forces you to bypass on the
right-hand side. You will traverse a
few couloirs before you are back on the main ridge. The route is well
worn and easy to see. Just pay attention to slippery rock in the
couloirs.
Then you get to the base
of Torshammeren. The sheer
sight of it is enough to scare the daylights
out of normal people, but it is actually quite easy to climb. Especially if
someone already laid out the rope before you. The climb up to the summit block
is easy, but the final move is in the YDS class 4 range. Take the time
to reflect on this astounding piece of rock while your climbing partner
lowers you down...
Just a stone's throw
away, the climb to
Kvanndalstinden begins. You will see that the path
continues towards the grand wall, but that's because the rappel route
ends a bit further away. The first pitch can be done without a rope if you're
comfortable with this type of terrain. This is even true for the
descent. For those who have climbed
Fingeren - I would argue that the
climbing is a bit similar.
The
final rope length
begins at a distinct ledge, follows some convenient steps which leads
straight into - and up along the rappel route. The handholds are
brilliant! A bit higher up, the route turns
sharp right and this is the
crux of the pitch (YDS class 4). Once you reach a small ledge, the final
meters to the summit are easy.
The summit consists of
two "blocks" (in lack of a better word) and is very exposed. Thread
carefully! There is a box with a summit register on the block closer to Venjetindan. Many famous Norwegian climbers have left their signatures
in this book...
DESCENT
Rappel from Kvanndalstinden
(Click for larger image)
It should not come as a big surprise
that the descent route is the same as the ascent route. The only exception is
the rappel, which runs approx. 40-50m straight down the face. But because of the
many excellent handholds, a knot on the rope is also subject to get stuck pretty
much everywhere, so a good advice would be to divide the rappel in two. The
first rappel is approx. 35 meters, the second is 5-10m (confirmation is needed
on the second).
With a 60 meter rope, you won't
reach the second rappel point. Barely. So, instead of setting up a new rappel
point, you can rappel down to the ledge where your climb to the summit began,
and descend unroped from here - if this is something you're comfortable with.
You will need another rappel down
the 20 meter pitch further down the ridge, and optionally another rappel to get
safely down to the glacier.
Kvanndalstinden and the glacier
(Click for larger image)
Pictures and Trip reports:
westcoastpeaks.com
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