levak

A little late reply but once again, thanks for all the suggestions... Unfortunately, the weather forced me to go to Orco valley, Italy. It was similar to Lofoten, lots of crack climbing with anything from single pitch to multipitch. You could climb down in the valley or up in the mountains(up to 3500m) and you could choose from 100% bolted routes to trad only... Worth visiting if you are in these areas. Matej

Uff, this area looks nice too:) And there is a guidebook online, which is also nice:) Will take a look at the guide book. After all, all the places are "quite" close together and I can decide on the way there where to land(probably depends on the weather, as usually:)... Thanks for the ideas, Matej

This reads exactly like I want to:) Hegefjell is nice to learn to use your feet when climbing:), but I must say I liked Lofoten and Steting more, since routes followed natural paths more. Hegar, Mot Sola, Via Lara are the types of routes I'm searching for... and from your writing it seems like I will be able to find that in Uskedalen. Lack of bolts doesn't bother me, there were none on Lofoten also and I got used to it:) As long as there is enough places for protection:) I think I will order the guidebook in the following days and have a look at it... Would love to go to Narvik area, since I really liked the places and long routes, but doing 3500km for 14 days is just too much...

Do you know what kind of climbing is in Setesdal? Slabs mostly, like Nissedal? How bout Uskedalen? Matej

Nice ideas:) I don't know how I didn't think of Jotunheimen. Although, last 3 years when I've been to Norway, weather wasn't the best around Jotunheimen. Always raining:) Innerdalen looks nice as well... It's maby a bit further up, but if there is enough to climb then I can just go there and stay there for 14 days:) What I don't want is to drive around all the time to search for routes/places to climb... Will check further. Nice suggestions, thanks. MAtej

Hello! I'm sorry for writing in English, but I have very poor knowledge of Norwegian:) I'm traveling to Norway next month to climb and I'm searching for some nice places to climb. I would like to stay in the lower Norway and would not go higher then Romsdalen. If possible, I would stay below Oslo and Bergen:) I'm looking for places with multi-pitch climbs up to grade 6/6+(max), but I feel safe in 5+ So far I've climbed in Nissedal, Romsdalen, Lofoten, Stetind, some sport crags in Bergen... What would you recommend I visit? In my many visits to Norway I've learned that the weather has the last word, so it's nice to have a few options... So far what I have came up with: - Uskedalen (been there once, looks super promissing, specially with the new guidebook(mine was from 1980 or smthk) - Setesdal - Lysefjord(Rogaland) What else is there and what is worth checking out? Thanks, Matej

Uff uff uff, so much great ideas and routes. I think it will be hard to choose which one at the end:) By the way, what do you take with you for eat and how much. Since we plan to stay in the Jotunheimen for the duration of 10-12 days, we need all out food with us. We were planning to take some "premade and dried" pasta/spaghetti and some dried army food for dinners and a lot of fruit & chocolate bars to eat during the day. Would that be sufficient? Are there any fish in the lakes? Am I allowed to fish? Do I need a permit card? Does any of you use Primus Gravity burner? How many gas bombs should I take? I was thinking of taking 3 500g bottles. I think that should be enough. Other than that, I think we are ready... Anyway, once again, that you again for all the help. You really made my/our trip a lot easier! Matej

Uff ufff uff, so much of great new news:) marmotta: great pictures! I see I will get a great view if I choose a mountain pass every now and than as well. I am having troubles locating the valleys you named (Hjelledalen and Fleskedalen). In which part of J. are they located? Am looking at a map on ut.no, but can't find it. Also, I bought my sleeping bag yesterday and I know I'm not gonna be cold in it. Comfort of -9 should be enough for the summer in J. JohnnyGunn: HEy thanks for the idea. I also decided now not to take a look at 2 different parks. Instead, I will stay J. and make a longer hike. Since we will only summit a mountain or two, I think we will be able to make quite some mileage every day. jbl: I think I definetly have to go to Utladalen to show my 2 friends, who will be with me, the waterfalls. I personally have seen so many waterfalls in the last 3 years then I was in Norway, that they don't impress me anymore:P, but I know my friends will love it! Will take a look there the others are and try to make my route so that I will pass most of them. josteink: Thanks. Another user also replied me with the www.ut.no, where you can also find all the huts and some more info. But thanks anyway:) Ok I think now I have all the infos that I need so far:) I just have to find the right busses to start and end point and it's a go:) lp, Matej

martin.m: I was looking at dry sacks as well. It can be quite handy if it's raining. And it will come handy in September when I go kayaking in Sweden. And they aren't that expensive (lately, all outdoor equipment is getting more and more expensive). Thank you for your comment about blog. In case you really need to read it, google translate is your friend. But if you ever consider getting down here, you can write me and I can help you in english:P jbl: Great to know about Glittertind. I was affraid there's also glacier at the top and that I would need some winter equipment. Gravdalen and Utladalen also sound nice. I already took a peek view at the route, but I would like to mix high and low routes, so I will walk some path above the valleys and some in. I wouldn't like to spend all trekking captured in the valley. But the waterfalls would be nice to see. Are there any waterfalls in Gjende area? At the end, we will probably go with the weather anyway, but it's good to know the options and to know what to expect in every valley. And you guys can more easily suggest routes, since you already(probably) been there. One more think. How is with the electricity in mountain huts? It would be nice if I could recharge my bateries every now and then and mini-solar-panel-chargers just don't work. Anyway, once again, thanks for all the ideas:) Matej

Oh, totally forgot about yr.no. Great info. I guess we have to plan for summer and late autumn temperatures:) Just so I know what to take with me. About the sleeping bag, I guess I will buy the Mountain hardware Phantom 15 model, since it got 600g of 800 fill down and they have a 40% discount in a shop near me, so it costs "only" 240€. I think it's a good price for that amount of down. But great idea about waterproof bag. Typical bags that come with sleeping bags probably aren't waterproof. Great infos, thanks! Matej

Hey there! Thank you for all the advices. Although it's hard to decide where to go, I decided that we'll try to do two trekkings, 5 days in Jotunheimen and 4-5days in Romdane. So, for the 1st part I was look at the following 2 trails: - 1st trail: Spiterstulen - glittertinden - glitterheim - memurubu - Gjendesheim ---- Is it possible to summit Glittertinden without winter equipment(crampoons and ice axes)? If that is not advisable, then we will make a detour around Glittertinden. - 2nd trail: Spiterstulen - Visdalen - Urdadalen - Langvatnet - Gjendebu - Memurubu - Gjendesheim Then we would jump on a bus in Gjendesheim and drive to Mysuseter-Smuksjøseter, where we would begin the 2nd part of trekking: Mysuseter - Rondvassbu - Storronder or Vinjerondan Which one in Jotunheimen would you choose? 1st is nice, because you walk above and in the valleys, so you get a nice view over the Jotunheimen. I expect the 2nd to be easier and I would see less people. As for the 2nd one, what do you think? Would you rather recommend driving to Rondvassbu and take a hike into more inner valleys? Is my plan doable in 10 days? Are there any outdoor shops in Otta in case we have to buy some gas for the stove(I forgot how bit Otta was when I was there last year)? What the weather typically in August in that part of Norway? I know it can be quite tricky and unstable, but does it mainly rain or do I have a good chance of some nice blue sky? What kind of sleeping bags do you prefer: down or synthetic? Down are good, since they are small and light, but if they get wet, you loose the insulation. But then again, I don't plan to sleep outside the tend and I always have my bivouac bag with me. Are there any web pages with GPS tracks of hikings that you know of? Someplace, where I could download the tracks and put them on my GPS? What temperatures can I expect during the day? 20°C? 10°C? 0°C? I'm deciding weather to take a freece and a hardshell or down jacket and a hardshell (I have to watch on the weight of my backpack). Villmarksnett & larbrevi thank you for previous advices... They were very helpful, specially the pictures and www.ut.no web page with it's map. lp, Matej

Hello! Me and 2 friends are planning to go hiking in Norway this summer. We bought tickets from 4th to 18th of August, and plan to do trekking from 6-16, so we have about 10 days at our disposal. Currently we can't decide where to go. One option is Jotunheimen, which is really nice with mountains and valleys and the other options is Hardangervidda, which is flatter but is still offers nice view and relaxed hike. Hardangervidda: In Hardangervidda, I was thinking of going from Finse to Odda(Trolltunga). If I saw correctly, that somewhere between 100 and 120km of hiking, which I think should be doable in 10 days. Is there any route/path leading that way? I heard Hardangervidda can be quite moisty if you don't stick to the path. What are the summer temperatures in there? I was thinking of taking a sleeping bag which has a comfort zone around 0. Will that be enough or do I need a winter sleeping bag? Is it possible to summit Hårteigen? Do we need any special gear? Is there a lot of people in that area in the summer? Is there any free topo map of Hardangervidda available on the internet? Jotunheimen: A very nice park but a bit harder hike because of all the mountains. But that won't stop us if we decide to go there(we will train at home if necessary ). How to get there? Bus is probably the cheapest way. I tried looking at www.nor-way.no web page but I have dificulties picking the right town and price from the price table. As far as I read, I should take a bus from Oslo to Lom, and then from Lom to Juvashytta(I read there is a start of a nice trekking route). Is the climate similar to the one in Hardangervidda? Do we need ice axes and crampoons? What special gear do we need on both trekkings. Is there drinkable water or should we take some water purifying pills? Is it allowed to catch fish in the lakes and rivers? Is it allowed to make a fire? Is there possible to make a fire, since there is not much wood around? Is there any other place/trekking you would recommend? How about a trekking from Finse to Sognefjord? It looks like a nice mix of flat and mountain area and we finish in a fjord, which is one of the specialties of Norway:) Thank you all for your help. You people have a wonderful country. lp, Matej

andefro: great! I'll have 2x60m with me anyway, so abseil it is! Matej

Ooo one more thing... I'm always confused with climbing grades. Are grades in Norwegian guide books always in Norwegian grading system or are trad routes in UIAA? Not that there is big difference, but still... Matej

Kai: Hey... Thanks for the link, it's been useful. Found some nice boulder guide books there... I will have to think about buying a guidebook, since I already have to buy quite some for the lower part of Norway. Anyway, we will see along the way. hakonmar: Nop... anderfo: Aha aha I see... great and very useful info. I guess I will know what I need along the way. I hope I bring enough equipment with me. I will probably stick to more popular routes as there are chances some equipment is already left in. And by the way, Bare Blåbær looks like a route I could manage to climb. If I understand right the description in ROCKFAX, there are already abseil/standing anchors in? Matej