Setesdal, Southern Norway

Climbing

Following on from our initial post about the fantastic slab climbing in Setesdal, here are a few more climbing shots…

Laetitia near the top of Jotun — Laetitia near the top of *Jotun*

We’d chosen to do Jotun because the guidebook said it was the longest route in Setesdal at 830m, and because there’s a summit book at the top. It’s always good fun to take a peek in a summit book to see who might have been there before, if you know them, and then to sign the book to provide the same interest for the next team to arrive. Unfortunately the Jotun summit book is really badly placed! The book’s metal container is full of rain water and the book is completely sodden. The container is placed at an angle on the slab that allows water streaming down the rock in a rainstorm or after snow-melt to create a kind of bow-wave and backup into the box. Then the box simply holds the water and stops any evaporation. Consequently the book is ruined, and despite having been there for just four years (since 26 July 2009) it has only been signed a few times, the last time being in summer 2010. Just one year of service. We think the book is beyond saving. It needs replacing ideally with a waterproof book in a plastic bag. With the box being relocated to an upright position away from the slab and running water. Perhaps a task for the next team up?

The soaked summit book at the top of the 14 pitch routes Jotun and Trolldans — The soaked summit book at the top of the 14 pitch routes *Jotun* and *Trolldans*

Beauty

But Setesdal has far more to offer than just rock climbing. The Norwegian wilderness is massive, and most likely not that well explored either. It’s almost certain that there are massive un-discovered cliffs out there just waiting for the first climber to find them. And there are endless, 20,000km, of back-country treks complete with an enormous network of over 460 mountain huts to use for multi-day walks, ski tours (over 6,500km of marked ski tracks), etc. Of course there’s other beauty than just the mountain wilderness…

Kjeragbolten

While we were in Southern Norway, and with a slightly less than perfect forecast for rock climbing (a threat of rain) and sore feet from all that slab climbing in the heat, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to make the short-ish journey to Lysefjorden and visit the Kjeragbolten. When else would we be close enough to this world famous boluder, with a day spare, to visit it? With the less than perfect thick cloudy weather our views did suffer. However, that may also have been a blessing: if we’d been able to see the 984m drop below us stood on the Kjeragbolten, we might not have been so brave; and if it had been wall-to-wall sunshine as on previous days, we most likely would have melted in the heat hiking up to the Kjerag summit!

Richard celebrates a break in the cloud above the massive 984m drop in to Lysefjorden

Beer

Norway is famous for a lot of things, one of them is the astronomical price of alchohol! Of course that means that it’s even more wonderful, and valued, when you do get to enjoy an ice cold beer after a day on the crag…

Richard, Laetitia, and Paul pose in front of a week's heavy (by Norwegian standards) drinking! — Richard, Laetitia, and Paul pose in front of a week’s heavy (by Norwegian standards) drinking!

Venues

1.			Setesdal, Southern Norway
2.			Setesdal, Southern Norway
3.			Setesdal, Southern Norway
4.			Setesdal, Southern Norway
5.			Setesdal, Southern Norway
6.			Setesdal, Southern Norway
7.			Setesdal, Southern Norway