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S. Snøfjellet(No Javascript) |
Snøfjellet ("the snow mountain") is part of a mountain range that rises from Tosenfjorden and stretches eastbound towards highway E6. Snøfjellet consists of a northern (1007m) and a southern top (885m) and the old trade-route between Tosbotn and Sausvatn runs between these two tops.
This web-page will describe this "trade-route", but will include a traverse of Søndre Snøfjellet (the south top) and Aunfjellet, rather than in-between the Snøfjellet tops.
The mountain region that rises from the west side of Tosenfjorden grows gradually in altitude - from Straumsfjellet (742m), via Snøfjellet S (885m), Snøfjellet N. (1007m) and Breidvasstinden (1224m) before you reach the even higher Langskardfjellet/Blåfjellet range that marks the end of the region. Further east is Børgefjell with highway E6 in-between.
Søndre Snøfjellet (1825-I: 885m, Ø.K: -) has a primary factor of 195m towards the higher N. Snøfjellet (1007m). The saddle is found between the two tops, in a pass between Lakes Toshølvatnet and Leiråvatnet. Ref. the 1825-I map (20m contour maps), you cross the 700m contours on the high route, but not 680m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 690m.
My GPS reported 885m over a 10-minute period (top of cairn), on point 33 W 398760 7246914.
Aunfjellet (1825-I: 769m, Ø.K: -) has a primary factor of 99m towards the higher S. Snøfjellet (885m). The saddle is found between the two tops, along the mountain plateau. Ref. the 1825-I map (20m contour maps), you cross the 680m contours on the high route, but not 660m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 670m. My GPS reported 673m in the saddle on point 33 W 397188 7247338.
My GPS reported 774m over a 10-minute period (top of cairn), on point 33 W 396514 7247649.
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.
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Borkamo - S. Snøfjellet - Aunfjellet - Sausvatn (summer/autumn)
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From the RV17/RV76 junctions at Skillvika outside Brønnøysund, follow RV76 towards Tosbotn. At Borkamoen (approx. 1,5Km before you reach Storelvbrua bridge at Tosbotn) find parking where the river Leiråa drains to Tosenfjorden.
S. Snøfjellet
The route begins with a forest road which turns into a vague forest path. This path more or less runs with the river Leiråa close in view up to Lake Leiråvatnet. At approx. 290m elevation, you must cross an incoming stream. You might get wet if there is a lot of water in this stream.
From Lake Leiråvatnet, you must ford the drain on the southeast side of the lake. The lake drains over concrete, so crossing easy provided that the current isn't stronger than what I experienced it to be in August 2005. Cross one more stream (should be trivial) before you ascend S. Snøfjellet's southeast ridge. You will run into smaller slab areas and small cliffs the higher you go, but there is always an easy way around the obstacles. You will pass a viewpoint cairn before you reach the summit cairn at 885m elevation.
If you don't feel like fording the drain from Lake Leiråvatnet, pass the lake on the north side and a) follow the trade route across point 725m to Lake Toshølvatnet, or b) proceed up to S. Snøfjellet via the north ridge.
Aunfjellet
Proceed west/northwest towards Aunfjellet. To save yourself from additional vertical gain, you will need to shift from left to right and vice versa as the terrain changes. Aunfjellet summit is marked by a cairn on the north side of the summit plateau.
Descent
Descend Aunfjellet's northwest ridge. If you stay too far east, you will run into nasty slabs. If you stay too far west, you will run into cliffs. The middle route is however quite easy. Descend to the west drain of Lake Toshølvatnet. Cross the drain just west of the lake (you might get wet if the river is wild) and locate a visible, but narrow cairn path that takes you down to the forest road by Dyrmoen.
From Dyrmoen, locate the bridge 100m southeast of where the terrain vehicles ford the river. Head back to the forest road which will take you all the way down to Lake Sausvatnet.
To S. Snøfjellet
Ever since I was a little boy, I've listened with fascination when the grown-ups talked about their walks from Tosbotn to Sausvatn (or the other way around). It seemed like an "impossible task" at the time. The driving distance was only 25Km or so, but this also seemed like an incredible distance. It wasn't until I was in northern Norway (for the second time in August - to pick up the dog) and looked on the map for a hike, that I discovered that the distance wasn't any longer than a typical week-end trip (18Km). Somehow, it feels longer to travel from A to B than to A and back.
My mom drove me to the Borkamo trailhead and I was ready to go by 09:15AM. I think she was a bit concered, probably having the same "respect" for the task at hand that I used to have. Now that I knew the distance and the vertical gain, I explained it was "business as usual" and shouldn't take more than 5 hours. The hike up to Lake Leiråvatnet went smooth. First part on a forest road, and then on a vague forest path which included a river/stream crossing.
My map played a trick on me. The drain from Lake Leiråvatnet did a sudden halt just after the lake before it resumed further down. I could only assume that the drain went underground. It didn't. When I reached the lake, the lake drained into the river over a concrete dam. There didn't seem to be much water above the concrete, but I was worried about the current. I considered walking around the lake, but ended up with giving it a try. I took the boots off and headed across the dam. The current was noticeable, indeed, but caused no problems.
I could proceed towards S. Snøfjellet and crossed one more stream/river before I could begin the ascent. The hike up to the summit went fairly smooth. An eagle circled above me and kept me company. Some slabs and small cliffs forced me to look around for the best route, but nothing difficult. I reached the summit 11:35AM and could enjoy a tremendous view. Just north of the summit cairn was a point (on the other side of a small lake) that I thought was higher. Once there, I wasn't all that sure anymore and moved back to the summit cairn. I enjoyed my lunch while identifying the numerous mountains that I had learned to recognize throughout my summer vacation up here.
Descent via Aunfjellet and Aune
I proceeded towards Aunfjellet and came across a flock of reindeer coming up from the south. The wind came from the north, and they didn't spot me at first. It was great to sit back and watch these animals, halfway between Sausvatn and Tosbotn. After a while, I think they must sensed my precense, because they accelerated and quickly disappeared.
I reached Aunfjellet summit 13:00PM and had a clear view of my descent route towards Sausvatn. I noticed the Aune cabin, and had a look through the zoom lens. Friends of the family owned this cabin, but I had never been there. It felt strange to watch it through a camera. I wondered if our friends were at the hut. It was in the middle of week, so probably not. I picked the wrong route on my way down Aunfjellet and got a much steeper descent than strictly necessary. And once down by the drain from Lake Toshølvatnet, I wondered where people crossed the river. I found some rocks that provided a way across, yet concluding that some would have wished there was a bridge in place.
I was fortunate to find the vague path that took me down to Dyrmoen and the forest road. I heard sounds up the road and went up to see who it was. It turned out to be the friends that owned the Aune cabin. We hadn't seen each other for many years, and I was invited up to their cabin for coffee. It was altogether a pleasant encounter. Knowing that I wouldn't be driving a car, I gladly accepted a cold beer (Dahls Bryggeri - cooled in the local stream). Perhaps with a lighter spirit than usual, I headed down the forest road an hour later and was treated with an excellent dinner once back home. A marvellous day in the mountains was over. Not very hard, not very steep, not very long and not very challenging, but it was a childhood dream that had come true.
Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.
To Snøfjellet
18-22mm lens panoramas
50mm lens summit panoramas
Zooms from S. Snøfjellet
To Aunfjellet
Views from Aunfjellet
Descent
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