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Rispingen seen from Hananipa(No Javascript) |
If you have traveled between Vaksdal and Stanghelle, you've probably noticed a long mountain plateau with steep sides, on the other side of Veafjorden. This plateau stretches over several kilometers, and the high point (on the north side of the plateau) is called Rispingen, 742m. On the south side, you find Olsnesnipa (or Olsnessåta as locals say), offering a grand view towards Vaksdal and the surrounding mountains. Raudskredbruni and Skarvenipa are two other named points on the ridge, but cannot claim to be called separate mountains. On the map, you will find two points named Olsnesnipa - one southwest of Skarvenipa, and one south on the plateau. I am only refering to points 653 (M711 high point) and 600 (M711 trig. point) when I mention Olsnesnipa on this web page.
In my opinion, Rispingen is at its best in spring - when you can drive to the top of Trollskardet pass (approx. 350m), and then decide if you want to ski towards Rispingen or Brøknipa and start skiing directly from your car.
The terrain leading up to Rispingen is gentle, and everyone can ski here. Once up on the plateau, you can either ski towards Rispingen or towards Olsnesnipa. On the route description below, I have suggested a less traditional ascent directly towards Olsnesnipa. However, most people chose to follow the marked trail from Trollskardet to the high ridge and choose their destination once on the ridge.
A special bonus is the view down towards Stanghelle and the fjord. There are several viewpoints on the east side of the ridge that you have to visit. Be aware of a crevasse between Skarvenipa and Olsnessnipa. I'm not quite sure exactly where it is located, but I've head it is 100-150m deep. It's not a crevasse in the traditional meaning, but can be a deadly trap when covered by snow. As far as I understand, this crevasse is not found along the marked route on the high part of the ridge.
Rispingen (M711: 742m, Ø.K: highest contour is 741,79m) has a primary factor of 394m towards the higher Brøknipa (822m). The saddle is found near Trollskardet (Båtaleithaugen). Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk map (5m contours), you cross the 350m contours on the high route, but not 345m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 348m.
Raudskredbruni (M711: 722m, Ø.K: Highest contour is 715m) has a primary factor of 49m towards the higher Rispingen (742m). The saddle is found on the ridge between the two tops. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk map (5m contours), you cross the 675m contours on the high route, but not 670m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 673m.
Olsnesnipa (M711: 653m, Ø.K: 653,9m ~ 654m) has a primary factor of 59m towards the higher Raudskredbruni (722m). The saddle is found by lake Grøntovatnet (Ø.K.) Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk map (5m contours), this lake and the 595m contours meet. I have therefore used 595m as the saddle height.
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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Trollskardet - all tops round trip (winter on skis)
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From Bergen, drive towards Osterøy across the Osterøybrua bridge. Pay the fee (NOK 40,- per March 2005) at the toll booth across the bridge. Turn right immediately after the toll booth, and drive 200m up to a road junction. Follow the road all the way to Bruvik, and continue up towards Trollskardet (turn left in a junction just after Bruvik). Drive to the top of the hill where you see a large parking area on your left-hand side. Park here.
The normal route runs northeast from the parking, directly up to Skarvenipa. The route is marked by sticks with yellow paint. You will also see cairns as you gain elevation. The terrain is overall gentle.
Instead of following the normal route upwards, I suggest that you head back along the road, in the direction you came, until you find a good southeast line towards Olsnesnipa trig. point at 600m. The reason is that if you want to include Olsnesnipa on your ski-trip, the Øvstebotnen valley will force you to ski all the way to Skarvenipa before you can head south towards Olsnesnipa. Then you have to ski back the way you came in order to get to Rispingen.
The terrain below Olsnesnipa is more rough than the ridge from Olsnesnipa to Rispingen, but it is not difficult. From the Olsnesnipa trig. point, head northbound across Skarvenipa and Raudskredbruni before you ski the final yards up to Rispingen. Note that there is a crevasse between Olsnesnipa and Skarvenipa, but you should be fine as long as you stay on the ridge. A second note is that the normal ski route does not run across the Raudskredbruni high point. The high point is located slightly west of the ski route.
From Skarvenipa to Rispingen, make sure you visit the cairns located on the east side of the ridge. These are great viewpoints which give you fjordview. You will also get a good view towards Stanghelle east of Raudskredbruni.
When you return from Rispingen, follow your route across Raudskredbruni and Skarvenipa. From Skarvenipa, locate the yellow markers that will take you southwest towards the parking.
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Trip report Mar 24 2005Last night was beer night, and subsequently, mountains were not the first things on my mind this morning. I had an exceptional slow start in the morning, and was quite determined to stay at home. But when "nature calls", one has to respond, and I started pondering about where to go. Due to the snowmelt, I would have to carry the skis up to 300-400m elevation unless I found a high trailhead. I thought about Bergsdalen and Kvamskogen, but since these places were doomed to be crowded, I didn't want to go there. It's not the people that is the problem. The lack of parking is. So I left Bergen with a plastic bag full of maps. The weather was quite good, even if it was a bit cloudy. It was 11 deg. C. outside, and the lower hillsides were free of snow. Just as I drove out of Arnanipatunnelen, it struck me that it could be possible to ski from Trollskardet. This meant the drive would be short, and I could start skiing right away. I looked towards the dog in the passenger seat. I wasn't thrilled about the idea of carrying both him and the skis up a forest. I was thrilled to break away from the endless row of cars, obviously heading towards Kvamskogen and Bergsdalen, and drove across the bridge to Osterøy. When I arrived Trollskardet, the parking area was nearly full, but at least there are no private property signs or people charging money from you. Well, except from the man in the toll booth by the Osterøy bridge. I like Osterøy. Even if this spot is most likely the most crowded trailhead on the island, people are scattered all over. Some head towards Brøknipa while others head up to the Olsnesnipa - Rispingen ridge. After I headed upwards 13:05PM, it took me half an hour before I saw the first skier. Halfway up the hill towards Skarvenipa, Troll complained loudly from the backpack. I let him out, and even if the snow didn't carry his weight, he didn't seem to mind. After a while, he discovered that walking in my tracks was a whole lot easier. I had a feeling he would be walking for a while. On the way to Skarvenipa, I had a pleasant chat with Mr. Faugstad from Bruvik. I had recently been interviewed over the phone by the local newspaper (Bygdanytt), and was curious if the article had been published. Mr. Faugstad acknowledged, and said I could stop by after my trip was over. He would then show me the article. We continued upwards, and met more skiers as we moved on. Troll earned his share of comments, as this little dog working hard in the snow was an amusing sight. At Raudskredbruni, I wanted him to take a rest, and he was in my backpack while I skied up to Rispingen. We reached the summit 15:10PM, and had earned lunch. Despite of all the cars in Trollskardet, I was the first one reaching Rispingen this day. Another skier followed soon after, and two others were on their way as I headed down. I was back at the car 16:20PM. Troll had walked parts of the route back down from Raudskredbruni, but progress was slow and I put him in the backpack. The plan had been to ski to Olsnesnipa and then go "off-piste" back towards Trollskardet. I had done this route before, and decided to save my energy for the upcoming Easter trips. From Raudskredbruni, I followed my tracks back to the trailhead. At Bruvik, I stopped by Mr. Faugstad and had a nice chat with him. He was kind enough to give me his copy of Bygdanytt. The newspaper interview had resulted in 3 whole pages. It was fun to read. Hopefully, more people would visit this web-site and perhaps discover a mountain or a route they haven't done before. It's all worth while then. Back home, I discovered that my previous visit to Rispingen was March 24 2001, 4 years ago, on the day. A bit of coincidence.
Pictures from the Mar 24 2005 hike
Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
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Pictures from the Mar 24 2001 hike:
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