Norwegian Mountains, Sogn og FjordaneLusaskard on skis, Feb 12 2011 & Dec 18 2010To the main Lusaskard page (maps, route descriptions, other trip reports, etc.)
1st attempt - Dec 18 2010 Not for a minute did I think that we would make it to Lusaskard on this Saturday, just before Christmas. Not only was there a lot of snow in the mountains - I was also suffering from some mysterious fatigue. We headed out from Øvstedalen and followed Furesetelvi for a little while, before we sat course for Seltuftebotnen. Anne was breaking trail all the way and I was just sobbing behind. We decided to turn around after 2,5km. The wind was quite cold and we had still more than 3km to go. Never has a decision to turn around been easier. Upon descent, we descended along Furesetelvi. That was quite fun, and without a doubt the highlight of the trip.
Along Furesetelvi
2nd attempt - Feb 12 2011 After one month (at least) with shitty weather, the sun came out and as we had unfinished business on Lusaskard, the choice of a mountain was easy. It became even more easy when I learned that Anne and a colleague had been breaking trail from Hodlekve to Øvstedalen the day before. This meant that we would get a smooth ride from Øvstedalen, all the way to Furesete, and we expected that the snow on the mountain would be wind-packed. We left Øvstedalen in gorgeous weather, and even if the mystery fatigue had recently returned, I was 100% confident that we would touch the summit cairn today.
Beautiful tracks!
Furesete was a beautiful place, and the cabins were almost buried in snow. I felt a strong urge to ski across (and even jump from) a roof top, but concluded that the cabin owners would probably not approve...
Furesete
Above Furesete, the snow was wind-packed and we were just cruising towards Lusaskard. The fatigue was completely forgotten, and I enjoyed the day to the fullest. Given Anne's permanent smile, she didn't seem to have a bad day either... We reached the summit 1:26pm - 2,5 hours after leaving Øvstedalen. It was rather cold, and we decided to have lunch inside our wind sacks. I've actually never done that before...
We decided to descend our ascent route. The tracks would at least give our skis some speed. Going elsewhere would mean that we would just get stuck in a heap of snow. On the way down, we were almost run over by a guy on a snow mobile. With a shovel as the only gear, I bet he was going to Furesete to relieve a cabin roof from heavy snow. Whether this activity warrants the use of a snow mobile is for others to decide... We returned to Øvstedalen 2:46pm - 4h:10m after heading out. The total distance was 12,6km and the total vertical gain was approx. 700m. Lusaskard is now in the bag. Been there. Done that. Memorable!
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The pictures were taken with a Canon EOS 550D + Canon EF-S
17-85mm IS USM F 4-5.6
+ a Canon Powershot G12
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Feb 12 2011 Dec 18 2010 |
On the way to Sogndal, Feb 11 2011
To Lusaskard, Feb 12 2011
Wide-angle view from Lusaskard
Zoom views from Lusaskard
Descent
1st attempt - Dec 18 2010
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