| Rjukan Ice Climbing Page |
| This page offers information about ice climbing around Rjukan in southern Norway together with pictures from many trips to the valley. In recent years Rjukan has really become northern Europe's mecca for ice climbers from all over the world. The area is also a good base for cross-country skiing (there are many prepared trails) and downhill skiing at the Gaustablikk centre. During my first visit to Rjukan in 1998, I based ourselves in the small town of Rauland some 45km to the west. This involved an hours driving each way which stole precious daylight time. Since then I have stayed very close to Rjukan, either camping (!) or in a log cabin. It is worth doing some training if you can before you go to Rjukan because when conditions are good you will want to cover as much ground as possible. My record stands at 17 icefalls climbed over 4 and a half days, I can tell you we slept well on the ferry home. Rjukan is also famous for another reason. During World War II, under the German occupation, the hydro electric power station at Vemork (see below) was used to produce heavy water. As a result, British special forces, in cooperation with Norwegian freedom fighters, sabotaged the plant in a daring raid. However, this was not sufficiently damaging to the production and it was deemed necessary for the Americans to bomb the area in an air raid which unfortunately killed local civilians. The final shipment of heavy water, which the Germans attemped to transport to Germany, was destroyed when a bomb sank the ferry carrying the train on Lake Tinnsjø north east if Rjukan. Researchers have since discovered, by recovering barrels from the lake bed, that the water did in-fact contain higher cencentrations of Heavy Water, however it is also now known that the amounts were tiny and that it was only quantities enough for research and that the Germans were not close to developing a nuclear bomb. |
| An excellent area to start is in Area A near Krokan Fjellstue at the very head of the valley (parking at the Fjellstue just after the tunnel above the village of Våer). Following the track to Gausdalen brings the routes into view on your left. There are many routes here from grade WI 3 upwards. The picture above shows some of the routes looking westwards (towards the small bridge on the Gausdalen road, just visible in the photo). The first route on the left in the picture is Gaustaspøkeset (Gausdalfossen). The picture below left, shows part of the small area where Arne (M9) is located. There are several hard mixed routes. Arne was put up by Stevie Haston. |
| Just right of Jomfrau is Fyrstikka (WI 5) which can be seen in the picture on the right. This icefall is more complex and often has quite slim sections of near vertical ice. Using a 60m rope, it is possible to top rope the climb and try various lines. A little downstream from these falls, just around a corner, you will find Kjøkkentrappa "Kitchen Stairs" (WI 4). This is another excellent icefall (left) and from its base you get a good view if there are climbers on the hard dry-tooling lines on the rock just opposite (below). |
| Above, the view north from the top of Gaustatoppfossen. The large lake Tinnsjø is out of sight behind the dark hillside. Right, another view of Gaustatoppen from a small hut by the road to Tuddal. The mountains offers a great deal of Scottish grade I and II ground and an impressive ridge. The small road to Tuddal is closed in the winter, however you can park where the road splits between Gaustablikk and Tuddal at the top of the steep section of the road where it climbs out of the valley onto the plateau. After a long day out in the cold, there is nothing like sitting with a glass of whisky by a roaring log fire in a warm cabin. |
| Right, the overhanging rock bowl where Fission is located. To get to these climbs the water below has to be sufficiently frozen. |
| When climbing the multipitch icefalls you must be able to set up an adequate belay on the climb. On many of the icefalls you can use the rock walls or trees alongside, however, there are often occasions were you will need to be competent at setting up a hanging belay on ice were you have to think much more about equalising the anchors and about potential fall factors as the second leads off on the next pitch. If you are looking for somewhere to practice multipitch techniques or just to get a taste of ice climbing on easy ground then walk up to the museum. 100m to the left of the museum you will find a large grade 2 icefall. It is easy to walk up to the fall, just follow the road up to Vemork. The icefall can be seen below and is called Susse's Veil after my wife and offers many variations with some short steep sections. |
| Just below the museum is another popular climbing area. By the Vemork bridge there are several excellent falls. The picture to the left shows the bridge to Vemork taken from the icefall Dauterium. Below left, walking down to the canyon from the Vemork car park with Host in front. Host is a good long single pitch WI 4 icefall that finishes by the railings at the road. The pictures below centre and right are taken from the bridge. In the centre is Vemorkbrufoss Øst (WI 4) and the right picture is of Vemorkbrufoss Vest (WI 5), both 2 pitch routes with easy access by abseiling from the bridge (if you like free 50m abseils). |
| Left, the classic Lipton, a strenuous and demanding 4 pitch grade 6/7 located in the intimidating depths of the canyon Marisjuvet near Rjukanfossen. Lipton gets its name from the yellowly colour of the ice that forms it. Right, a view of Rjukanfossen as seen from the track alongside the road tunnel just below the parking place at Krokan Fjellstue. Lipton comes down just out of sight to the right of Rjukanfossen. Access to these falls is buy abseiling into the canyon from near the road tunnel or by walking up from Vemork. |
| A little further downstream is the magnificent waterfall Trappfoss (left), a beautiful 4-pitch WI 4, and to its left Juvsøjla (WI 6) . These falls can be accessed by walking up in the canyon from Vemork. At the top of these routes you must walk westwards to the road from Gausdalen and to Rjukan Fjellstue and down the main road. Further downstream is the power plant, now museum, Vemork (below) with the excellent icefall of Nye Vemorkfoss a 3-pitch grade 5 that finishes just to the right of the museum. |
| Also in Area A you will find the perfect beginners icefall called Bullen (WI 3), seen below left, then as you want to increase the grade, Jomfrau (WI 4), below right, offers a 15m steep start before you reach the shelf and an easier finish. |
| If it is overcrowded by Vemork or in the area near Krokan Fjellstue then you should consider some of the fantastic alternatives. If it is short routes you are after then try the area by the second hairpin bend on the road to Gaustablikk. Here there is a small ravine with routes offering many possibilities around grade 2 to 5. The icefalls remain until late in the season as they remain in the shade. |
| On a final note, although the season in Rjukan is reliable from late October to early April, there are occasionally suprises. The picture on the left was taken in January 2005 and shows the upper Krokan area from the bridge on the Gausdal road. You can see that the river has mostly melted and water is pooring out over Jomfrau. The other extreme is of-course cold and snow. You may have all the gear for climbing and a harsh day out on the hills, but make sure your transport is right for the job. Below, waking to see our cars one morning in 2000, pretty much buried after 30cm of snow - 4 wheel drive and snow chains did the job. |
| The first guide for ice climbing in the Rjukan area 'Isfører for Rjukan' was compiled by Jon Haukåssveen in the early 1990's. Jon, who lives in Våer (pronounced Vower) a few kilometers west of Rjukan, has been the pioneer in this area and he has been the first accensionist on many routes. After visiting Rjukan several times I made contact with Jon with the aim of producing a new guide with maps showing the location of the routes and access. The first guide was without maps and it was impossible to figure out the location of the routes from the descriptions. We sent photographs and drawings backwards and forwards and this resulted in a 'summary' guide which I made available on this site in 2002. It could be used alone or as an excellent companion to Jons' descriptive guide, which was available in Norwegian on the Steepstone website (see the links page). More recently, Jon has launched a new website and a company called Telemark Opplevelser (see the links page). Prior to the 2003/04 winter season, Jon sent me correctons to the 2002 guide, including correcting the location of several routes and a couple of grade changes. I have also had contact with Andreas Spak, another local, who has been pioneering new hard mixed and dry-tooling routes. Andreas's ambition has been to establish Rjukan as Nothern Europe's number 1 ice and mixed climbing playground. Andreas has an impressive website (see the links page) and guides in the area. My latest summary guide from 2005 contains 155 routes from WI 2 to WI 7 (water ice), mixed routes to M 10 and dry-tooling routes to D 10. There is also the odd aid route. Many of the icefalls are photographed on this page and will aid you if you are visiting the area for the first time. You can still download the summary guide below as a pdf file (right click on the link and choose 'save target as'). Download the Rjukan Ice - A Summary Guide here In December 2005 a new guide to the Rjukan area "Heavy Water" was published by Rockfax (see the links page). The guide is written by Jon Haukåssveen and Tom Atle Bordevik and is in the classic Rockfax format with descriptions of 171 icefalls and mixed routes and plenty of colour photographs. This guide is recommended as the perfect companion when visiting the area, well done Jon and Tom! For those of you eager for more information straight away, you can download the guide above and then read on... Getting To Rjukan Rjukan is located 175 km west of Oslo, 370 km east of Stavanger, 290 km east of Haugesund and 175 km from Larvik. You can sail to Stavanger from the UK and to Kristiansand, Larvik or Oslo from Denmark. However, the quickest option is to fly to Oslo or Haugesund, then possibly take the direct bus from Oslo (see the links page) or hire a car. You will need a car to get around the area if you do not want to be limited to the routes close to the town centre. The vast majority of the routes are all within 20 km of the town. Rjukan is located on the main road number 37 in a deep narrow valley, in fact the town doesn't see the sun for 4 months of the year. A few kilometers west of the town, the valley narrows to a deep canyon - Maristjuvet. This is where the famous power plant Vemork is located - and most of the best routes. Be sure to see the film Heroes of Telemark before you visit. The Climbing Areas Around Rjukan The area around Rjukan can be dicided into 6 main areas from A to F as described here and shown below. Rjukan centre is in Area D. |
| The Ice Climbing Season Due to Norways position in northern Europe and its exposure to the North and Arctic seas it produces excellent conditions for ice climbing and a long season. Precipitation during the autumn on the fells from low pressure weather systems originating in the west give the amount of water required and then long periods of cold weather due to high presure systems sitting over the land mass during winter driving cold air down from the Arctic produce fantastic frozen waterfalls which can be up to several meters thick. The first routes in Rjukan are climbable from late October (those high on Gaustatoppen) and there are many routes still in great condition (those on the north facing side of the valley) until early April. Visiting the area in December and January can be a very cold affair, with short days and daytime temperatures regularly below -5 degrees. Visiting in February and March gives the advantage of slightly higher temperatures and more daylight. However, in late March the ice falls on the south facing hillsides are usually gone due to the sun hitting the hillside. Driving & Accomodation Choose accomodation near Rjukan to avoid driving long distances each day. Remember winter driving in Norway is different to driving in the UK. They do not use salt on the roads but grit. Also, Norwegian law states that your car must be fitted with tyres that give adequate grip. The law does not state that you must use winter tyres, but it is advisable and if you do they must have at least 3mm of tread. The law states that if conditions dictate then all drivers must use snow chains - it is therefore advisable to carry a set (for 2 tyres) in the boot. The road to Gaustablikk and near VÃ¥er is quite steep and can be very slippery. For accomodation, check out the Rjukan tourist office for links. One possibility is Rjukan Hytte & Caravan Park, 7km north east of Rjukan centre. They have good cabins which are cheap and you can also camp here and use the adequate facilities. Staying up by the Gaustablikk ski area will cost you quite a bit more. From the 2005/06 season, two newly refurbished appartments in the village of VÃ¥er overlooking Vemork are available for rent. They are owned by a group of English climbers, see their website at Rjukan.co.uk for more information (see the links page). Other Activities If you get worn out ice climbing then Gaustatoppen offers easier winter mountaineering. The mountain, at 1881m, allows views of 1/6 of Norway on a clear day. The top is a narrow ridge running SSE-NNW and the major flanks offer good grade I-II ground, both gullies (up to 400m in length) and mixed ground. Watch out for high winds, pedominantly from the north-west, as the ridge is very narrow in places with steep drops off to both sides. At the SSE end of the summit ridge there is a DNT hut which has a small winter room open all year round. In the area there is also skiing at the ski centre and endless opportunities for snowshoeing or cross country skiing. |
| Area A Using map series M711 sheet 1614 IV Rjukan, Area A is between 702 361 and 708 368. Park at Krokan Fjellstue. For routes 1 - 17 follow the small road towards Gausdalen for 600m to a bridge, the routes are in order going downstream (right to left when stood beneath the routes). This is perfect for beginners as many of the routes can easily be top-roped. For routes 18 - 21 follow the main road towards the tunnel and then the tourist path for Rjukanfossen. For routes 22 - 26 you must walk down or abseil into the canyon near the road tunnel, or walk up from the bridge at Vemork (see Area B). Area B Area B is between 708 368 and 719 376. Drive to Våer and follow the road towards Arbejdesmuseum Vemork, park in the car park before the bridge. It is possible to get into the canyon be abseiling from the bridge or walking down from the north east corner of the car park. Here there are several classics. Area C Area C is between Våer and Krosso (745 378). Parking is along the main road 37 in the marked places. For routes on the south side of the valley it is possible to walk from Vemork or Rjukan. Area D Area D is between Krosso and the eastern side of Rjukan near Svadde (790 380). Parking in Rjukan, near the youth hostel for routes on the south side of the valley. Area E Area E is from the area west of Svadde to 7km north east of Rjukan. Access to many of the routes is along the road to the Gaustablikk ski area. The collection of routes at the second hairpin bend are excellent. Some of the routes are in a remote mountain location on the slopes of Gaustatoppen. Area F This area covers the large area around Tinnsjø with relatively few routes. The area is not well described in the summary guide but has in-fact seen several areas been developed since 2005. |
| In the main part of Area A, you will find many excellent single pitch icefalls of approximately 25m in length. If you are not up to leading yet then most of these routes can be top-roped by walking a little further along the small road past the bridge and then dropping into the trees above the falls. Below left, Gaustaspøkelset (WI 4) and right and below, the bottom of Topp (WI 5) shown on two different years. The lower part of the fall often collapses leaving an entertaining 4-move mixed start. The ice hanging down that you can see is about 1m out from the rock wall behind. |
| A little further downstream there are two viewing platforms, one is close to the remains of the earliest hydro electric plant in Europe and some of the most difficult falls in the area (including Arne, Go On and Heavy Water) and the other is the Rjukanfoss viewing platform. You can walk to the viewing areas from the same car park at Krokan Fjellstue, mentioned above. When the river is flowing it runs through a narrow channel here and then out over a rocky chasm forming the impressive Rjukanfossen. Although you cannot see Rjukanfossen from here as you are directly above it, you get a good view of Lipton, one of the areas most challenging icefalls. |
| Along the valley walls there are a significant number of half and full day excursions available by climbing some of the icefalls that are between 3 and 17 pitches long. Most of these icefalls are substantial and therefore allow you to choose the grade, usually WI 3 with short sections of WI 4 on most of the longer icefalls. Below you can see three of the main icefalls at the foot of Gaustatoppen south of Svadde. |
| Left, looking down Armeringsjernfossen, a WI 3 icefall that flows down the hillside between the road to Gaustablikk. Below, Kvitåa seen at the end of the season. This 9 pitch grade 3 has easy access from near Bakhus and is easily spotted from the main road about 6km east of Rjukan. |
| If you fancy a mountain day then the short icefalls of Gaustatoppfossen are in a fantastic location high above the valley floor. Allow 60 minutes to reach the falls from where the road splits between Tuddal and Gaustablikk. The falls are single pitch and unfortunately exposed to the wind, so if you can see any spindriff near the summit of Gaustatoppen, don't bother walking in as the icefalls will be unclimbable. |
