Ice Climbing - Rjukan Norway

Rjukan - The great Ice fest - February 2010

Smiler is once more heading for Norway this coming winter. Imagine a place with up to 170 icefalls, some less than 2 minutes from your car and all no more than an hour’s walk-in.
The climbing:
Not including the several routes where mixed (hooking) is the (modern) style, there are (approx):

16 steep ice routes at grade 2
40 at grade 3
60 at grade 4
25 at grade 5
And at least half a dozen horror-shows at grade 6!

This is the famous Rjukan Gorge, the location of the film ‘Heroes of Telemark’, the true World War II story, where the allies parachuted in and destroyed the heavy water plant, this water which was then shipped to Germany and used to make atomic bombs!
The museum to commemorate the event is above the gorge and is a ‘must visit’ during your trip.
Smiler has been hooked for several years on coming here, after his first visit to this superb arena of ice climbing. Hardly any walk-ins (walk-down approaches) and easy abseils off routes, or a track in the snow on the upper rim of the gorge, which leads back to the famous Vemork Bridge in a rapid time.
Yes, the climbing is brilliant; mostly steep, but climbers with little or no experience of steep ice can often be leading Scottish 3 or even 4 within a few days.  Full advice on equipment and techniques will be given.
 
We stay at the Gjestegård Hostel, in the centre of this small town, where warm and cosy 4-bedded rooms are truly comfortable when temperatures outside can be minus 15°c.
The end of a climbing day gives way to relaxing and social time in a spacious and warm lounge until dinner. The hostel  has a splendid drying room where all equipment and clothing can be safely left overnight to dry perfectly, ready for the next day’s antics. 

We fly into Oslo (Torp), an hour away from Oslo city, using Ryanair. Flights are cheap and the onward journey to Rjukan is by hire car from the airport.
Great climbing. A great vacation. Choose your length of stay. 3-day weekend or longer.
Course fees (land costs) start from £195 per day plus transport and accommodation expenses .
Discounts available for three or more people.
Call or e-mail Smiler for more details and a booking form.

2009 and 2008 Reports & Pictures still available on the blog

In 2007...

Just to whet your appetite...

Long considered too difficult to get to, too expensive, too cold, and other deterring reasons, this has now all changed for the better, thanks to Ryanair.

The steep ice climbing in the Rjukan Gorge, in southern Norway, was our objective in February this season. We longed for good conditions, reasonable weather, things not so prevalent in our usual Scottish winter and we weren't disappointed.

Flying to Oslo (Torp) with Ryanair was very straightforward and the addition of a £15 each way sports bag meant we could take an enormous amount of equipment, spare dried food, and a couple of bottles of alcohol (that is expensive in Norway!). On arrival at Torp, it was a simple routine to get the hire car and be on our way to Rjukan.

The weather was cool and cloudy, with some occasional snow showers. A 3-hour journey in those conditions was acceptable, and we arrived in the town in the early evening. We had pre-booked our apartment through the website and were very pleased to find such good quality. Soon we were wrapped up in duvets, while outside, the temperatures plummeted.

Emerging from our beds to snow falling lightly, we soon found this made little difference to our climbing plans. Our accommodation was situated within ten minutes walk of the famous Vemork Bridge, famous in the war years when the allies prevented the Germans from removing vast quantities of a special type of water needed for the manufacture of an ATOMIC BOMB!

Fortunately for everyone, with some heroics, the lads persevered in atrocious weather and wrecked the Germans’ plans, by destroying the Vemork factory. Now rebuilt for historical reference, the factory is now a major tourist attraction and receives many visitors a day throughout each year.

Our climbing days in the Gorge were outstanding, and so wonderful that each day melted into the next. Superb single or multi-pitch icefalls were flowing everywhere one looked and the guidebook (Heavy Water, by Rockfax) was easy and fun to follow.

A variety of routes were climbed, (around ten in four days) with many being straightforward and others, bold and exciting. My favourite two were Ozzimosis (WI4) in the area of the same name, and Vermorkbrufoss Vest (WI5) in the Vemork Bridge area. Both routes provided steep and sustained ice climbing but were very pleasing to climb. Access was SO easy!
There were also many routes at WI 2, WI 3 and WI 4 to go at, and time ran out just as we were getting a real ‘feel’ to the place.

Norway is a huge country and with a vast potential for fun ice climbing, I intend to make an annual visit here. January through to the end of February is the best period for Rjukan, although it often keeps cold well into March. Expect the early months to be cold!