Norwegian Mountains

Øyanovi, 801m
Møyadalsnubben, 881m (not ranked)
Storafjellet, 950m
Gløvret, 949m
Grånipa, 806m (not ranked)
Bjørnafjellet, 752m (not ranked)
Javnasåta, 636m (not ranked)

Mountain area : Vaksdal
Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Vaksdal
Maps : 1216-II Evanger (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Maps : 1216-III Stavanger (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : See below
Hiked : July 2004
See also : Dustingen
See also : Flatafjellet
Javnasaata (right) seen from the highway

Javnasaata (right) seen from the highway

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Introduction

These tops are found on a high ridge that runs from Vaksdal to the Bergsdalen valley. The ridge is excellent for hiking, and the terrain is also very popular among skiers in late winter. Skiing normally means you have to walk up to more level terrain. At least the forest below Javnasåta doesn't promote skiing. A wide variety of routes can get you on this ridge. On this web page, I will described one of the access routes from Vaksdal and one from Bergsdalen. You can also access this ridge via Flatafjellet or from Knuskedalsfjellet via the Herfendalen - Bergsdalen trail. A number of additional routes also run from Vaksdal and Bergsdalen.

The two central tops on this ridge are Storafjellet (950m) and Gløvret (949m). The mountain ridge is smooth and easy, and nothing really stands out. This is perhaps why it is so popular - for skiers essentially. You have good views from this ridge. The coastal mountains - especially the high Osterøy mountains are easy to identify. You have a good view towards the northern Bergsdalen mountain, in addition to the mountains centered around Bergsbukken.

Primary factor and heights:

Storafjellet's (950m) primary factor towards the higher Gråvatnknausen (4Km to the SE) is 150m. The only route between the two mountains that does not cross the 800m contour is across lake øvre Tverrdalsvatni. This lake drains two ways and becomes the saddle at 800m elevation.

Gløvret's (949m) primary factor towards the higher Storafjellet is 106m. The saddle is found on the high ridge. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours) states that the saddle is between 845m contours. The saddle height is interpolated to 843m. The 5m contour map also states that the high point is 949m, located south of the 943m trig. point.

Øyanovi's (801m) primary factor towards the higher Storafjellet is 113m. The saddle is found at the mountain's eastern foothills. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours) states that the saddle is between 690m contours. The saddle height is interpolated to 688m. The 5m contour map also states that the high point is 801m, located approx. 240m SW of the 775m trig. point.

Grånipa's (806m) primary factor towards the higher Gløvret is 68m. The saddle is found on the high ridge. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours) states that the saddle is between 840m contours. The saddle height is interpolated to 838m.

Bjørnafjellet's (752m) primary factor towards the higher Grånipa is 44m. The saddle is found on the high ridge. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours) states that the saddle is between 710m contours. The saddle height is interpolated to 708m.

Javnasåta's (636m and also known as Jamnas&arint;ta) primary factor towards the higher Bjørnafjellet is 18m. The saddle is found on the high ridge. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours) states that the saddle is between 620m contours. The saddle height is interpolated to 618m. Javnasåta shouldn't be considered a top, and is only mentioned on this page as it is relevant for the trail description.

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.

Storfossdammen - Gløvret via Øyanovi/Storafjellet (summer)

Difficulty : Class 1
Exposure : No
Comments : Easy, but long hike
Distance : Approx. 8Km to Gløvret
Time : Approx. 3 hours to Gløvret
Starting Elev.: Approx. 410m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 780m to Gløvret

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 E16 towards Oslo. From the E16/highway 7 junction by the roundabout at Trengereid, continue 26,3Km to Dale. Turn right towards Bergsdalen and continue 4,2Km up the narrow road to Bergsdalen. Park by the Storfossdammen dam.

The route

Øyanovi

Follow trail down to the dam and cross the dam. Locate a trail on the other side marked by blue ribbons in bushes. The trail runs up the Øyanovi northeast ridge in the beginning, but turns away from the ridge (to the left) above 500m. On the way towards the Øyaskardet pass, the trail passes avalanche area in winter/spring. Take a look at the slick rock up to your right, and you'll understand why the snow don't sit well on this mountain. The upper part of Øyaskardet pass can be cumbersome in winter, due to cornices on top. Once you are on top of the pass, determine a convenient access route up to Øyanovi (up on your right). Click here to see how the pass looks like in spring.

Storafjellet

From Øyanovi, descend towards a cairn path that runs just above the 700m contour. You have Møyadalsnubben and Storafjellet in clear view and in a while, Møyadalen valley comes into view down to your right. The cairn trail does not run up to Møyadalsnubben, so pay attention. The cairn trail descends into the small valley between Møyadalsnubben and Storafjellet, so pay attention. Once on the foothills of Storafjellet, the best thing is to head right on up. Many on the cairns are broken, and you will have problems locating many of them. You will find two cairns on Storafjellet. The southernmost marks the high point.

Gløvret

The route further to Gløvret is rather straightforward. Continue southwest across point 908m, then down to the saddle between Storafjellet and Gløvret, up to another point - also 908m, before you enter the Gløvret summit plateau. The large cairn marks the 943m point, but the 949m high point is found approx. 300m further southwest (on the left hand side of the lakes). The high point is not marked, and it is difficult to tell exactly which is the high point.

Descend your ascent route, continue the ridge towards Vaksdal or determine another interesting descent route.

Trip Report July 17 2004

The plan for this Saturday was to go to the Folgefonna glacier, but the outlook for unpleasant weather made me change the plans. I threw a heap of maps into a bag and drove off, destination unknown. Normally, I decide where to go when I reach the Midtun roundabout, and this morning I decided to head towards Dale. Approaching Dale, Dustingen was cloud-free, and I figured I could give Kvamsnovi a try. I had no idea on how to get onto this mountain, but decided to follow a gully named Dustingdalen. Since it had a name, I assumed it was hikeable. After 200m vertical meters in the most slippery couloir I've ever been to, I entered class 5.x terrain, and had to turn around. Troll was enjoying the "backseat" up and down this couloir.

I continued up the Bergsdalen road and figured I could try to reach Gløvret. I had been skiing up to Gløvret from the Vaksdal side, but missed the high point. As such, the mountain was "undone" and this had to be fixed. In order to get to Gløvret, I had to hike across Storafjellet. I did that hike back in Nov. 2000, so the terrain was fairly familiar. I left the Storfossdammen trailhead 14:25PM and through keeping a steady rhythm up the mountain, I reached Storafjellet 15:45PM. Troll was walking off and on and wasn't overall too interested. By the time I reached Storafjellet, it had started raining, but the mountains were still cloud-free. Gløvret seemed far away, but I assumed I would be there within the hour.

I was wearing extremely thin polyester trousers, which wrapped like plastic when the winds set in. 0 weight and very convenient for warm days. But for this hike, I had the option to change to proper trousers (from the backpack "emergency room") or walk very fast. I chose to walk fast and arrived Gløvret 16:20PM. On the way across the ridge, I had taken a look at the map and - to my horror - noticed that Gløvret's primary factor was less than 100m. All this struggle for a peak that was not to be considered an independent mountain? Based on the M711 map and saddle interpolation, the primary factor was only 93m.

Despair was ruling. The 100m "rule" was only converted from 300 feet. That gives 91,44m, which is for practical purposes rounded up to 100m. This was a "moral dilemma" of pure academic interest, but it made me forget about the soaking wet clothes for a while. When I arrived Gløvret, I noticed that the large cairn could surely not be the high point. I walked further down the ridge, but it was impossible to determine any particular high point. But my hopes were rising, and when I returned from the hike I discovered that Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours) stated that the height was 949m. Then I took a look at the Storafjellet-Gløvret saddle. The 845m contours defined the saddle, and with fair interpolation, the saddle had to be 843m. This meant that the primary factor would be 106m. Shebangs! Up one hill and down one mountain.

The good news never seemed to end. I took a good look at Øyanovi on this hike and couldn't understand how the primary factor could be only 85m (775m - 690 interpolated saddle height). Another look at Økonomisk Kartverk, and I learned that the summit was 801m, and the contours defining the saddle were 690m. With a interpolated saddle height of 688m, the primary factor was suddenly 113m. But Øyanovi was already "in the bag" back in 2000, so I didn't stop by on this hike.

As I turned around on Gløvret, I was really cold. Troll was still walking off and on, and it was time to find a place to break for lunch. I wanted to get off from the high ridge, hoping the winds were not that strong in the lower elevations. I took a direct route down to lake 806m, and found shelter. The shelter was however crowded with mosquitos and didn't invite for any sort of stay. I continued down to lake nedre Tverrdalsvatni where we found shelter under some cliffs. We enjoyed a nice applepie lunch while the rain was pouring down around us. This area was just between two maps, and I didn't find it convenient to use maps anymore. I stumbled onto a "T" trail that I followed upwards, not really sure if I would end up back on Storafjellet or in the pass between Storafjellet and Møyadalsnubben. This was the "T" trail from Dale that joined with the Herfendalen-Høgabu trail, which runs across Storafjellet. So it didn't take long before I got familiar with the terrain. After a quick descent, I reached the trailhead 18:45PM, wet beyond comprehension. Fortunately, I had dry clothes in the car, and once the hot dogs in Dale were secured, life wasn't all that bad.

Pictures from the July 17 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. Near the trailhead (297KB) 2. Oyanovi ridge (102KB) 3. The dam (248KB) 4. Oyaskardet pass (158KB) 5. Dustingen (150KB) 6. Storafjellet (173KB) 7. Oyanovi and Dustingen (201KB) 8. Moyadalen (161KB) 9. Dead sheep (303KB) 10. Caught between a rock and a hard place (182KB) 11. Storafjellet summit (139KB) 12. Storafjellet summit view (246KB) 13. Point 908m - the northern one (205KB) 14. On the Glovret ridge (227KB) 15. Glovret summit view (238KB) 16. South view from Glovret (207KB) 17. Troll on Glovret (248KB) 18. Bergsbukken (115KB) 19. Lakes below Glovret (225KB) 20. Lakes below Glovret 21. Lakes below Glovret 22. Lakes below Glovret 23. Foggy view from Storafjellet (308KB) 24. Foggy view from Storafjellet

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Vaksdal - Gløvret via Javnasåta/Grånipa (summer)

Difficulty : Class 1
Exposure : No
Comments : Easy, but long hike
Distance : Approx. 8Km to Gløvret
Time : Approx. 3 hours to Gløvret
Starting Elev.: Approx. 110m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 950m to Gløvret

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 E16 towards Oslo. At Vaksdal (approx. 40Km from Bergen) turn right at the "Herfendal/Vaksdal" (60Km/h zone). Turn right immediately after, drive 400m to a bridge, cross the bridge and turn left in the "Jamnavegen/Jamna" junction. Continue Jamnavegen 550m upwards. Turn right when you see the "Flordalen" sign. Just around the first bend, notice the trailhead on the right hand side of the road, next to a green box where they keep sand. Find parking just a little further up the road.

The route

Follow the visible trail from the trailhead. The trail can be wet and slippery on rocky terrain. The direction of the trail is pretty much straight up. Above the forest, the trail follows a ridge and leads to a hut. From this hut, you see Bjørnafjellet straight ahead (north) and Grånipa further right. A small valley runs in between. In winter, and also perhaps summer, the recommended place to cross is just above the highest cabin. Continue upwards on the other side of the valley and proceed to Grånipa summit (cairn).

From Grånipa you see the Gløvret ridge. To get onto this ridge, head towards point 902m. Below the high ridge, turn left and keep going until you find a natural place to proceed upwards. Continue along the ridge in the northeast direction until you find a good place to ascend the high ridge. Once on the high ridge, continue across point 902m and a 900m contour further ahead before you reach Gløvret high point. Note that the 949m high point (not on the M711 map) is approx. 300m southwest of the 943m summit cairn.

Trip report, Mar 31 2002

I woke up this 1st day after easter, dizzy after the 1750Km long drive that took most of the week-end (Bergen - Førde - Strynefjell - Dovrefjell - Trondheim - Steinkjer - Trondheim - Dovrefjell - Lillehammer - Dokka - Fagernes - Fillefjell - Lærdal - Bergen). I had to "deposit" Troll, as I was heading for the United States in a week. I was still "driving the car" when I brushed my teeth this morning, and I was double-driving when I got into the car. I didn't know where I was heading, but I knew that I was going skiing.

After a few kilometers, I decided to go to Vaksdal and do the Gløvret mountain. I had been up to Javnasåta before, and knew the trail. The trail up the forest was a little strenuous, with my skis stretching high above my backpack. I stopped counting the times I got "attached" to the trees.

At Javnasåta I had to decide on what to put under the skis. I have no clue when it comes to this, but decided to put red Swix on. Eureka! Good grip upwards, and good speed downwards. The only bad thing this morning was the ugly haze. I expected the sun to break through in a few hours, and headed towards Gløvret. However, no sun appeared in the following hours.

When I got Gløvret in sight, I thought I wouldn't be able to climb it. At least on skis. But as I got closer, I found that the climb would be easy. I played a game of "positioning" with a herd of reindeer on the way up. They took the backroad to the summit, as I climbed up on the west side. When we rendevouzed at the top, the leader stomped around in a "what the ..." fashion. People I met assumed this flock came all the way from Hardanger. There are no roads in between, and one can walk high all the way to the Hardangerfjord from up here.

Quite happy with two new peaks, I decided to call it a day. There was a higher mountain further ahead, but I assumed this was Storafjellet, which I had already climbed from the Bergsdalen side. I was back at the car 4 hours after I started. It was a shame not to stretch this hike longer, but I was really tired after the long week-end drive. On the way back I met the couple who owns the Javnasåta hut. I liked their flagpole. Eager after a nice conversation, I set speed down from Grånipa towards the small valley which I had to cross. Then I had to make a violent stop when I realized I had missed the crossing by a few hundred meters. I was looking down a 10m drop into the valley, which wouldn't have been good. I am so bad on skis that I still consider it a wonder that I was able to stop. Well, falling over always works...

Back home, I dumped the GPS points onto the digital map, and realized that I had not been on the high point (943m). What I thought was Storafjellet was the true high point. Suddenly, a lovely day was turned into a miserable affair. After some clever thinking, I decided to "invent" the term "south" and "north" Gløvret. At least I got something out of the trip. Well, there *was* a cairn at the south-west point. And the height (902m) is marked on the map, so ...

Now I have to go back a third time. But that's okay. I still want to do the Vaksdal - Gløvret - Herfendalen - Vaksdal round-trip, and that will include the high point. And I will wait for a sunny day. The views from up there are amazing.

Pictures from the Mar 31 2002 hike

1. The trailhead (156KB) 2. Broknipa (Osteroy) seen from Javnasaata (116KB) 3. Hananipa seen from Javnasaata (108KB) 4. Getting to the hut calls for celebration (84KB) 5. Bjornafjellet, Graanipa and Glovret seen from Javnasaata (233KB) 6. Hananipa and Broknipa rises in the horizon (126KB) 7. Panorama from Graanipa (324KB) 8. Rispingen (Osteroy) (213KB) 9. Graanipa summit (145KB) 10. Flock of reindeer below Gloevret (140KB) 11. A closer encounter with the reindeer (70KB) 12. Graanipa and Bjornafjellet seen from Gloevret (179KB) 13. Gloevret main summit, 943m (120KB) 14. Gloevret main summit, 943m (117KB) 15. The road up to Herfendalen (119KB) 16. The forest seen from Javnasaata (220KB)

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Pictures from other hikes:

1. Javnasaata seen from the highway (104KB) 2. Gloevret ridge seen from Geitnipa (109KB) 3. Vaksdal area seen from Javnasaata (262KB) 4. View from Javnasaata towards Hananipa (91KB) 5. Vaksdal seen from Osteroy (395KB) 6. Vaksdal seen from Osteroy (519KB) 7. Osteroy and Vaksdal (212KB) 8. Osteroy and Vaksdal panorama (322KB) 9. Vaksdal panorama from Hananipa (269KB) 10. Glovret seen from Flatafjellet (222KB) 11. Storafjell, 950m, seen from the trail to Store Dustingen (177KB) 12. Oyanovi seen on the way to Kvamsnovi (120KB) 13. Storafjellet seen from Dustingen trail (195KB) 14. East view from Hananipa (802KB) 15. North view from Hananipa (576KB) 16. Kringdalsnipa summit views (zoom) (836KB) 17. Bergsdalen mountains (386KB) 18. Bergsdalen mountains (267KB) 19. Nice view from Bjørnsnipa (667KB) 20. Winter wonderland (781KB)

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