Ski Touring in the Jotunheimen Part 1

Ski-touring in Norway is becoming an annual pilgrimage, could this be due to it being Paul's second favourite country after Yorkshire? But then Norway is a big country with a lot of mountain ranges, I read somewhere that it is the same distance from Oslo to Kirkeness in the north as it is from Rome to Oslo!

This year had the option of a week of ski-touring with the emphasis of getting up mountains or alternatively the next week was devoted to hut to hut touring. You could of course do both if you are blessed with lots of holidays and fabulous wealth. As I'm not I opted for the first week of the two.

Jotunheimen is located in south central Norway and is the highest mountain range in Northern Europe. It has a sort of Cairngorm feel to it although the peaks are more impressive and of course it has glaciers. It is also served by an excellent hut network and with very good transport links.

We had a Spitzbergen re-union of Paul Brooks, Trevor Cousins and myself joined by a newcomer to the club, Mark Ireland. It was the usual story of sitting back, putting your feet up and letting Paul organise everything in his usual meticulous and very efficient manner.

After uneventful journeys the party grouped in Oslo Airport on the Friday evening, an overnight stay in town and the following day, a bus journey north. We were deposited in the small town of Lom and found a taxi to take us the 25 miles or so to our initial base at the Spiterstulen. Forget the dangers of crevasses, seracs, avalanches, white-outs, hypothermia and think taxi rides on a Friday night in town. This guy was doing 60 mph on sheet ice in his 406 estate, sliding it round corners, overtaking. I tried to console myself with the thought that he does it all the time and knows what he's doing (which of course he does). I looked round and the others were gripped with the same fear of being decapitated by the pulk or the thought of having to change underwear a week earlier than planned!!!!

After a lifetime we arrived at our hotel under Galdhoppiggen, Norway's highest mountain (2469m). We had perfect weather and the chance of picking up this mountain couldn't be wasted so this was our first objective. It was a long slog up steep slopes on skins followed by a big bowl and then up onto a ridge between glaciers. Time was pressing so after some deliberation we dumped the skis and packs and pushed on to the first top. I started lagging, got to the second top and was well back. I ummed and arred and continued, Paul and Trevor got to the third (main) top, Mark was 10 minutes behind, I was 10 minutes behind him. Visions of running out of light and having to walk down through 'rock bands' by headtorch were enough so I turned back and waited. A fast descent and back at the hotel in the dark and wolverine stew for the meat eaters.

The weather was holding and we needed a bit of a rest day so we went glacier exploring on the Monday. Next day we were off into the hinterland proper and a grinder of a day, glorious weather, glorious views but it did seem to go on and on and we got to our hut as the light was turning. No more comforts now, it was cold, the food didn't appear in front of us like in the last place, well it did after Paul succumbed. Yes food in Norwegian Huts... the DNT hut network is stocked up with non-perishable food so you don't have to carry all the extra weight in. You can purchase it in the premises, you fill in the pro-forma giving your credit card details and post it in the little safe making sure to take out a second mortgage before your credit card bill arrives.

As I was saying, Norwegian hut food, Reindeer Kakaar (reindeer meat balls in congealed grease), Bog (thin strips of ham) Sod and Smeg, it gets worse......…

The weather turned during the night, thick cloud, snow, strong winds - it was one of those days you set out only because you think the others really do and you don't want to be seen to be soft so it was not surprising that our planned trip up Glittertinden was aborted after about an hour. We could savour our dry crispbread and chocolate spread in comfort!

The ski out was going to be a reasonably long one as there was no convenient hut midway so we got an early start and pushed it hard over a pass along a frozen lake over another pass and down through the birch forest which proved to be 'interesting'. It isn't easy trying to ski through deep soft powder on free heel skis with a heavy pack on. Just lean too far forward and you end up with your head buried deep and your skis wafting around above you, and of course an eager audience always willing you to do so.

Gjendesheim is a very civilized DNT hut as it comes with a warden and a menu listing edible foodstuffs. This was our last stop as the outward bus was to pick us up here. The weather was still bad but despite this we managed a long tour in poor conditions over a line of rounded mountains. A long excellent down-hill and more interesting descents through the trees, cameras always ready in anticipation.

Next day we had a few hours to kill before the bus arrived so we blitzed a small mountain overlooking our lodge, chance to stretch the legs before the day and a half of journeying back. Our bus arrived bringing in the party for the second week, minus James' rucsacs, our faith in Schipol airport duly restored and of course, talk of the 2004 pilgrimage.

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Ski Touring in the Jotunheimen Part 1

Andrew Hogarth