Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal

Syltehornet, 637m (Geitskolten)
 

Syltehornet
(Click for larger image)

Introduction

Syltehornet is located south of the place Sylte and north of Almklovdalen in Vanylven, and the mountain is easy to reach from both sides. This page describes a round trip hike from Ekreim by Syltefjorden. The route involves mostly off-trail hiking, including a steep ascent up to Merkingsvatnet.

The "Turkart Vanylven" map shows that there is a path from Slåttelid in Syltedalen (route 68) to point 553m (the "false" Syltehornet - see below). The map also shows a path from Årstøylen in Syltedalen. If you don't like steep ridges or off-trail hiking, then consider these two routes from Syltedalen.

On the 1:50,000 maps per 2009, Syltehornet is point 553m (N62.03709 E5.62431) west of Årstøylen. Another (unnamed) map point (N62.03795 E5.60895) is found just east of Merkingsvatnet. The map height for this point is 629m. Økonomisk Kartverk refer to the unnamed point as Syltehornet / Geitskolten, and the highest contour is 635m. So the trigonometric point B28T0301 (628,84m ~ 629m) does not refer to the highest point. Syltehornet on the 1:50,000 map is refered to as Grøthaugen (552m) on Økonomisk Kartverk. On this site, the conclusion is that Syltehornet is the westernmost of these two tops, and that the height is approx. 637m (based on 5 meter interpolation and GPS reading)

Syltefjorden
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Primary factor:

Syltehornet (Norge 1:50,000: -, Økonomisk Kartverk: Highest contour is 635m, assumed height:  637m, UTM 32 V 322623 6882965) has a primary factor of 259m towards the higher parent Bjørnen (680m). The defining saddle (approx. UTM 32 V 323747 6881676) is found just east of Lake Skjevatnet. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours), the saddle is within the range 375-380m, interpolated to 378m.

GPS measurement read 638m (on the ground), averaged over a 5-minute period (error margin +/- 1,0m)

Blæja seen from Syltehornet
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Google map

Google's interactive map. You can zoom, pan and click on the markers.
 

Trail descriptions

Route 1: Ekreim - Syltehornet round trip (summer/autumn) Difficulty : YDS Class 2+ Exposure : Some, on the way up a ridge Distance : Approx. 7,4km round trip (2D distance) Time : Approx. 3,5-4 hours Starting Elev.: Approx. 50m Vertical Gain : Approx. 700m (total)

Map of the area (No Javascript) Detailed map (No Javascript)

This route description is valid per Dec 2009

Access

(all distances are approx. distances)

The starting point for this route description is the place Sylte by Syltefjorden. Nearby villages are Fiskå and Åheim. Locate the road that leads into Ekreimdalen (N62.05220 E5.60247). If you come from Fiskå, this road is 1,2km after you pass the road up Syltedalen. Drive 600 meters on the Ekreimdalen road and park next to a garage (N62.04768 E5.59812).

The route

A round trip route
(Click for larger image)

Follow the forest road for 300 meters. As the road turns sharply to the right, turn left and leave the road. Head towards the distinct ridge ahead of you (off-trail). This ridge is quite steep near the top, so be careful. At 480 meters elevation, head towards the north end of Lake Merkingsvatnet and cross Merkingselva river. Then choose the best route up to Syltehornet (N62.03721 E5.60822).

From Syltehornet, descend to the southwest. Pass a nice viewpoint (N62.02859 E5.59484) above Almklovdalen near point 591m. Pass Kvernaskarvatna on the north (east) side and start looking for a convenient place to descend into Ekreimdalen. See if you can locate a path on the west side of the river. At 220 meters (N62.04031 E5.59079), cross the river and follow the forest road back down.

Pictures and Trip reports:

• Syltehornet round trip, Dec 12 2009
• Syltehornet seen from other mountains