|
Location
Hjørundfjorden cuts deep in between two large peninsulas that hold the most rugged and wild mountains on Sunnmøre - the southern part of Møre and Romsdal Fylke (county). Kolåstinden is located on the westernmost peninsula, where the valleys Standalddalen/Follestaddalen and Bondalen form three major mountain regions. Kolåstinden is the highest peak north of Standaldalen/Follestaddalen, and this region is also known as "Kolåshalvøya" (the Kolås peninsula). Dalegubben (1344m) dominate the Standaldalen - Bondalen region while Skårasalen (1542m) dominate the region south of Bondalen.
A popular peak
Skårasalen is mostly visited in the spring (when the avalanches has gone) and in summer. Despite the wild surroundings and the mountain height, this is an easy mountain to climb on skis. Thus, it has become one of the most popular skiing mountains on Sunnmøre. Only when the snow up to the very summit (which is not steep) is frozen, crampons may be useful.
The normal ascent route runs from the Kvistaddalen valley, a branch of Bondalen valley that connects the place Sæbø by Hjørundfjorden to the Ørsta region. While most skiers descend the ascent route, some ski down the Lisje Skåradalen (via a couloir in the upper part) down to the place Skår by Hjørundfjorden. A ferry brings you to Sæbø (via Leknes on the other side of Hjørundfjorden);.
A rugged ridge
Skårasalen extends to the southwest via a very rugged and spectacular arete called Kvistadkjerringane. On the far side of the arete, you find the peak Søre Skårtind which marks the beginning of a broader ridge containing the tops Maratind, Kjerringøyra and Utolhornet. Utolhornet has tremendous views towards Hjørundfjorden. These tops are accessible from Skår, but the approach is difficult. The normal route runs from Kvistaddalen via the lakes Fjellvatna. You can find route descriptions in the popular book "Skiturar i Sunnmørsalpane".
It was once said about Kvistadkjerringane; "it would take about a week to do the entire ridge, even if it were found possible". Some of the pinnacles have names, such as Skårekongen (1.st asc. Flem/Hagen, 1933) and Jeksla (1st. asc. Hagen/E. Heen, 1933). Arbuthnot and Johannes Vigdal ascended Skårasalen, or Skårtind as it was called then, July 29, 1897. The book "Sunnmøre" by Kristoffer Randers states the ascent was done on a ridge from Skår, while the booklet "Rock climbs in Sunnmøre" states that the 1st ascent was done via the south ridge. If they started at Skår, they had to traverse the pinnacles. This does not collaborate with the 1st asc. records of the pinnacles, and I ask the question if they started from Kvistaddalen.
The booklet states; "Skårtind by S. ridge. 1st. asc. 29.7.2897 G. Arbuthnot and J. Vigdal. Good sport. One can have as much or as little as one likes, since it is always possible to turn difficult parts on the W. face, which is broken up into easy ledges of grass and scree
The views...
Skårasalen has the highest primary factor in Møre and Romsdal county, documented on this page by Petter Bjørstad. As a high primary factor is always a good candidate for tremendous views, Skårasalen is certainly a good viewpoint candidate. And given the central location in Sunnmøre, it should be safe to claim that this is one of the VERY finest viewpoints in Sunnmøre (if not the finest). Take a look at the panoramas further down on this page, and judge for yourself. Bear in mind that the pictures were taken on a very hazy day.
Storhornet
... is point 1377m, 1,8Km northwest of Skårasalen. More precisely, Storhornet is point 1358m 580m north of point 1377m, but since 1377m is the highest point of this ridge, it should also "earn" a name. Storhornet is an easy top to reach from the Storhornet - Skårasalen col, where you descend to either Kvistaddalen or Skår.
Sources for the above information has been "Rock Climbs in Sunnmøre" (Norway Travel Association, 1953) and "Sunnmøre", 5th edition (Kristoffer Randers).
Skårasalen (M711: 1542m, Ø.K.: -, UTM 32 V 369051 6895171) has a primary factor of 1384m towards the higher parent mountain Storhornet (1600m, and not the same Storhornet as mentioned above). The defining saddle (approx. UTM 32 V 365697 6882246) is found near Bueide in Skjåstaddalen. The saddle is located between Lake Bueidstjønna (draining south) and Lake Buvatnet (draining north). Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours), the saddle is within the range 156-160m, interpolated to 158m.
Storhornet has a primary factor of 167m. The Skårasalen - Storhornet col is within the range 1201-1220m, interpolated to 1210m.
Notes:
1. My GPS measured 1546m as average elevation over 20 minutes.
2. Ref. my GPS; the summit is 53m SE of point 1542m on the Garmin GPS map (the actual summit is actually outside the 1500m contour).
3. My GPS measured 1380m on Storhornet as average elevation over 10 minutes.
Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.
The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.
|
Kvistaddalen - Skårasalen (on skis in spring)
|
|
Access
From Ålesund, follow highway E39 towards Bergen/Volda to the ferry at Solavågen. Take the ferry over to Festøya. Turn right in the direction of Volda. Follow highway E39 approx. 35,5Km to a junction in Ørsta. Turn left onto road RV655 (towards Sæbø). Drive approx. 21,1Km to the place Kvistad and turn right to the road towards Kvistaddalen. A sign that confirms you are on the right way is found on your left after 150m. The road turns from paved to gravel after 400m, and after 1,1Km, you have to pay toll. Per May 2006, the fee for passenger cars was NOK 30,-.
The road is closed in winter, and the snowmelt will determine how far up you can drive. In early May, you should expect to reach approx. 400m elevation (not quite all the way to Kvistadsætra). Most likely, the tongue of an avalanche blocks the road, so you need to prepare for a short hike before you can start skiing.
See also Petter Bjørstad's Skårasalen page.
The route
On the M711 map, you will see two streams just east of Årsetsætra. The summer path runs up between these two streams. The winter route follows more or less the summer path, but adjusts for inconvenient forest. The skiing route runs north of - and alongside - a "scheduled" avalanche from Skårasalen. In May, the avalanches have normally ended, and the route is considered safe.
The route continues into a gully between Skårasalen and Blåhornet, and is less steep than you may think after looking at the map. From the upper part of this gully, you enter the main (long) hill that leads to Skårasalen summit. As mentioned, the summit *may* require crampons if the snow is frozen, although it can not be said to be airy.
Descend your ascent route, but do stop by Storhornet (point 1377m) which is just a short detour. There is also an outcrop below Skårasalen (marked by 4 standing rocks) which will give great views towards Skårasalen's east face. You may also descend Lisje Skåradalen, but you should check out the ferry departures and time your visit accordingly.
Opposed to normal, this trip had been planned for several days. A warm high pressure was blessing our coastline, and although the it was quite hazy, I still expected good views from this popular skiing mountain. I took the 07:10AM ferry to Festøy and then headed toward Kvistaddalen. I was curious about how far up the valley I could drive. At approx. 410m, the road was blocked by an avalanche. Annoying, as the road was snow-free and dry for yet another 1,5Km.
There was only one car parked when I arrived and two more cars arrived as I headed upwards 08:45AM. I had only a rough idea about the route, and hoped I would see tracks. Just above Kvistadsætra, at approx. 500m, I ran into snow. And tracks.
Skiing upwards was easy, and I found a good rhythm. It didn't take long before I saw two skiers, 300m above me. I passed the first skier high in the gully and the second on the long hill up to the summit. The long hill had very hard snow, and it was barely possible to switchback (opposed to head straight up)
It was a (surprisingly) short ski-trip, and I arrived at the top 10:40AM, 1h:55m after leaving the trailhead. One of the other skiers arrived 20 minutes later, and I had taken the pictures I wanted by then. We chatted for a little while, before I left the summit 11:10AM.
I skied down to an outcrop that gave good views towards the glacier below Skårasalen, and passed the other skier on the way. I descended to the Storhornet - Skårasalen col on (still) hard snow, but this was the best part of the entire ski-trip (except for the summit views).
I took a look down to the valley that was a popular descent route, and although tempting, it would have been a time consuming route, as a ferry is needed to get back to civilisation. And I had no clue when or if this ferry would arrive. I headed up to the highest point on Storhornet, which I arrived 11:40AM. I spent 20 minutes at this top, which provided interesting views that I didn't get from Skårasalen.
I had been thinking about lunch, but wasn't hungry. I wasn't thirsty either, having had only two zips of water. I emptied 1,9 litres of water while looking at the other items in the backpack that never came to any use; ice-axe, crampons, wind-jacket, fleeze hat, fleeze neck, gloves, ski-repair kit, medical bag, extra sweater. Besides what I was wearing, only the camera, the objectives and the GPS came to use. The backpack contained the same things I carried to Kolåstinden the week before, and most of it came to good use. One can never tell..
I skied back to the col, and the descent was everything but fast. I once bought skis that was meant to work without vax. In the beginning I felt this was a hoax, but they do work well on spring snow. I removed the skins when I left Skårasalen, and had an easy ascent to Storhornet. Unfortunately, these skis don't give you much speed downhill, so I had to descend Storhornet using my poles to avoid halting completely.
The snow was already soft on the way down from Storhornet, and was even softer in the gully. At the bottom of the gully, I ran into approx. 20 people that were on a ski-trip organised by Ålesund Skiklubb. I had a pleasant chat with a few in the group. They would be descending via Skår and return to Sæbø via the ferry. They seemed surprised to see a skier on the way down so soon, and I had to confirm that I had been to the top (two tops, actually).
The snow between the gully and the forest was downright awful. The poles went straight through and got tangled up in rocks below. Skiing down the forest was easier, and my short skis came to good use. Back on the road, I met a family who wondered if they could reach the top on foot. I gave them a firm NO, but suggested that if they were still in doubt, they could try on they snow above the forest.
I was back at the car 12:45PM, and noticed that the first skiers were still on the mountain. Good for them. It was a gorgeous day. There was still plenty of time to visit another mountain, but I had promised to help the neighbour with some labor work in the afternoon. I was indeed lucky with the ferry. Arriving Festøya, there were no cars in front of me, and I could see a ferry on the middle of the fjord. Then a brutal horn sounded, and I noticed there was a ferry at the port, seemingly only waiting to get me onboard. 14:20PM, I was back in Ålesund.
Note:: Varying picture quality due to broken auto-focus.
To Skårasalen
360 deg. wide-angle panorama from Skårasalen
50mm panoramas from Skårasalen, 2 parts
Zoom panoramas from Skårasalen
Other pics from Skårasalen
Views from an outcrop north of Skårasalen
To Storhornet
Descent and return to Ålesund
No Javascript:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
westcoastpeaks.com
Other Møre & Romsdal mountains
Other Norwegian mountains
