Smiler Cuthbertson - Mountain Guide

On Krokan one of the steep routes left of Bolgen

With conditions at the end of January being quite good here in the Highlands, I did wonder whether I was making the right move going to Rjukan again at this time in a Scottish winter?

With conditions at the end of January being quite good here in the Highlands, I did wonder whether I was making the right move going to Rjukan again at this time in a Scottish winter?

My third trip to the icefest capital of Europe was also to be my second Climbers’ Club meet and I was organising and running this. I did have my friend and client, Steve, to guide on the ice routes, while the meet was running. So any lingering doubts about missing good Scottish snow and ice were pushed to the back of the importance chart. I wasn’t to be disappointed.

Prestwick was full of climbers again for the flight to Oslo Torp. This went OK after squeezing the sports bag and its 34kg of various (climbing gear honest!) equipment, together with my hold bag weighing much less than usual, onto the conveyor. All for an extra £25 each way - a steal (when you consider what was in the bag - ropes, tools, footfangs, karabiners, quick draws, clothes, dried food, whisky and more!

The long ramp pitch on Bakveien

As always, a warm-up was required, and Steve went straight in at the deep steep end with the excellent Svingfoss (WI 4). Situated right next to the road, the approach time is zero, but I warned Steve, the guidebook suggests all climbs are graded one level down from Scottish winter grades. So the first ice route he did was a Scottish 5!

We also did several other, steeper lines at WI4 & WI5, and one could make Svingfoss slightly easier by finishing on the left, rather than the very steep pillar at the top, and other hanging pillars of ice close-by could be fun-climbed on a top-rope as well. A great start.

In the afternoon we made our way to Krokan, where Bolgen, and the two or three steeper lines to its left were all ascended. The day finished with some falling snow, but Steve was happy to have had his induction day.

The week passed by too quickly for me. Visits to the Vermork Bridge and Upper gorge area were my personal favourites, especially the superb Bakveien, a 3-pitch WI4 with some superb and astonishing situations passed through. I looked in envy at the fabulous pillar of Nye Vermokfoss (WI 5 and three big pitches) just to our right. I felt slightly easier climbs would be more useful at this stage for Steve, and having done the route last year, the ice texture was definitely different, much more brittle, harder. It didn’t pose too much of a problem on Bakveien though, and we were soon moving along the Museum fence track back to the bridge and the car. The Ozzimosis crag also proved a great venue, with the ice warming up slightly towards the end of the week, giving more palatable ice climbing.

Steve managed some great routes as a second, and even excelled at the sharp end on several climbs (one a 4-pitch WI2) by the end of the week, and his skills and confidence were firmly implanted, he looks forward to more!

The Climbers’ Club Meet, with twenty members and guests attending, was a great success, especially as everyone mingled and socialising together at the Rjukan Gjestegård hostel, this accommodation much better suited for a get-together than the individual, four-person chalets we have used for two years previously. The final get-together pizza party on Friday evening at Rjukan Hytteby Restaurant was especially good fun. With many of the Meet members now having been twice to Rjukan, maybe a change for 2010 is on the cards? But it’s so good here and so handy, who knows?

I stayed on at Rjukan for a couple more days after the CC Meet had finished, and Gaute from Oslo City arrived on the Saturday morning, to have his two-day induction to ice climbing. Svingfoss, Krokan and Ozzimosis all gave Gaute a good insight into the world of the steep water ice climber. Driving back to Oslo on Sunday night with Gaute, I marvelled at the beautiful scenery and woodland, all covered in a thick coating of snow.

One more day in Oslo doing the shops, museums and parks, then it was back to Prestwick, to the Highlands, and to see what I’ve missed?

Tell you later!

Rjukan January 31^st - February 7^th 2009

It was 1943, imagine twenty, heavily clad heroes crawling quietly through the snow to the Heavy water plant at Rjukan. Laying explosives, they retreated to safety and then ‘BOOM’! The deadly industry was put out of action.

Sixty-five years later, in February this year, a second assault took place. This time, led by wing Commander Smiler Cuthbertson and thirty plus members of the crack CC 2^nd Brigade attachment, the assault was on the extensive array of frozen waterfalls in the deep valley below the heavy water Plant, this now a fine museum. The party was assisted by the arrival of the 10^th Panzer division from Stuttgart East, led by Herr Peter Cuthbertson (aka as Smiler’s kid brother and his German climbing mates!).

Over a nine-day period, the CC meet members and the Germans proceeded to reduce the vertical ice to small chunks suitable for gin and tonics. It was a wonderful time. Access is so straightforward (and easy) into the Rjukan Gorge and the small cabins in the town, providing the accommodation, were cosy and comfortable . The nearby Pizza house provided (a little expensive) big pizzas and (very expensive) bottled beer!

Wing Commander Cuthbertson was also using his presence in Rjukan to do some guiding. Firstly with two pairs of CC members and friends, and then, when the dust(!) had settled and the first wave of troops had retreated to Oslo Torp for the return Ryan air flight to Prestwick, some having a more damaging time on the car journey back compared to the G & T affairs in the Rjukan Gorge, Pete and Chris arrived for ten more days on the ice with Smiler.

Many routes of all standards were climbed throughout the first 20 days of February, the weather and temperature holding cold (down to -15 deg at times) until near the end of the trip, and although it felt it was warming up, it appears that moving further north for a few hours resulted in much colder climate (a thought for next year?).

Talking of next year, some unfinished ‘destruction’ was noted and Wing Commander Cuthbertson (assisted by another squadron of CC members (and probably by the Panzer division as well) will be back next February (1^st – 9^th plus extensions) next year.

Contact Smiler if you would like to be involved in a 2009 assault, but please use Morse code as the home guard at Rjukan might get wind of our arrival (and book the accommodation out).

[Editors Note: In the interest of European harmony we should point out that Smiler isn't fixated by the happenings of '39 - '45 and everyone from all nationalities got on extremely well. Future assaults will probably be made using the Eurofighter as air cover.]

Kjokkentrappa WI4 (Scottish 5), Variation on Ozzimosis - WI5 (Scottish 6), Vemorkbrufoss Vest - WI 5 (Scottish 6), Nye Vemorkfoss – WI5 (Scottish 6)