Norwegian Mountains

Ulvanosa, 1246m
Geitadalstind, 1210m (approx.)

Mountain area : Uskedalen
Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Kvinnherad
Maps : 1214-I Kvinnherad (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary Factor: Ulvanosa: 918m
Primary Factor: Geitadalstind: 120m (Ulvanosa)
Hiked : June 2001, Dec 2002
See Also : Petter's Geitadalstind page
See Also : Petter's Ulvanosa page
Geitadalstind seen from Uskedalen

Geitadalstind seen from Uskedalen

Introduction

Ulvanosa and Geitadalstind are two ranked summits on a large massif with a spectacular east face, popular amongst climbers The views are amazing, and in particular towards the wild mountains around Rosendal. As Ulvanosa and the neighbour mountain Englafjell is easily seen from Ulriken in Bergen, thousands have surely admired these two characteristic mountains, dominating the horizon.

In addition to the climbing routes, a good trail system takes you to the Geitadalstind and Ulvanosa summits, without any explicit difficulties. You should however be comfortable with hiking in high and rough terrain, where the weather conditions may quickly change. The massif is normally reached from Uskedalen in the north and Tveitedalen (via Dyrrinda) in the south.

Names

Ulvanosa is the name of the massif. For convenience on this page, I have associated the high point with the name of the massif. The high point is also referred to as Høgeteen (Høgetinden) on the Uskedalen side. From the south side, the high point is also referred to as Katthuså. It seems that both the high point and Geitadalstind is sometimes referred to as "Nåso", probably dependent on which mountain that is seen in the horizon. From Uskedalen valley, only Geitadalstind summit can be seen. Veslanosa is also known as Låganoso on the Uskedalen side. Thanks to Steinar Haugland for an introduction to peak names in Uskedalen. The frequently used word "Nåsa/Nåso" means "nose".

Heights

Kvinnherad Kommune's web site state that Ulvanosa's height is 1247m. On my web-site, I conform to the measurements provided on the M711 map series by Statens Kartverk. There are three other named summits on this massif, in addition to Ulvanosa and Geitadalstind; Øktaredalsnuten (1155m), Vesletind (942m) and Veslanosa (540m), but none of these have enough drop to be considered as peaks. The M711 map does not give a height for Geitadalstind, so until I obtain the correct height, I will operate with 1210m, which was derived from GPS readings. The actual height is probably a little higher, possibly 1212-1215m.

Primary factor

Ulvanosa's factor towards the higher mountains near Folgegonna is 918m in Skaret pass, S of Mannhovda. Last 5m contour line is 330m, giving an interpolated saddle of 328m. Geitadalstind's primary factor towards Ulvanosa is set to be 120m, with an interpolated saddle of 1090m and a (not confirmed) height of 1210m.

Trail descriptions:

Note: Class ratings are in reference to YDS (Yosemite Decimal System).

The below route is a round-trip over the Geitadalstind and Ulvanosa summits, from Uskedalen. The route from the trailhead to the Geitadalstind north ridge is class 2. The ridge to Geitadalstind is class 2+ (handholds for safety required). The remaining route to Ulvanosa and back to the trail junction is class 2. The forest trail up to Veslanosa is easy, but has some sections where the nature trail (rock) could be slippery. Note also that Geitadalstind can be climbed from the west, a safer approach than the north ridge. See "The Route" below.

Uskedalen - Geitadalstind - Ulvanosa (round-trip, all seasons)

Difficulty : Class 2+
Comments : See description above
Distance :
Time : 7-8 hours round-trip
Starting Elev.: Approx. 80m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 1350m (round-trip)

Map of the area
Map of the area
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Detailed map
Detailed map
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Access

From Bergen, follow highway E16 (Oslo). Exit right onto highway 7 at the Trengereid roundabout outside Indre Arna. After the two tunnels near Bjørkheim, exit right onto highway 48 (Tysse). Drive to Mundheim by the Hardangerfjord and exit right towards Gjermundshamn. Take the ferry from Gjermundshamn to Løfallstrand. From Løfallstrand, drive 18Km (passing Rosendal and Dimmelsvik) and exit right onto a narrow paved road signed "Musland". Follow the Musland road for approx. 3,8Km and find parking next to a bridge on your right hand side. There is a gate by the bridge, which may be open or closed. Don't risk being locked in by driving across the bridge. There is room for 2-3 cars in front of the bridge.

The route

Veslanosa

After the bridge, follow the forest road to the left. The forest road starts off in the SE direction, but soon turns west, parallel to the Ulvanosa ridge above. At the end of the road, locate the "Ulvanosa" trailsign near a small green building, and locate the forest trail. The forest trail is easy to follow and runs over two humps before you arrive Veslanosa at 540m. From here you have a clear view towards Geitadalstind. Note that the upper section of the forest trail runs over sections of rock that may be slippery. The forest trail is well travelled and marked with smaller cairns.

Geitadalstind

From Veslanosa, follow the trail that leads towards Geitadalstind. The trail is now marked with small cairns and red "T" paint on rocks. The terrain is initially easy, but grows gradually steeper. Up in the steeper part, the trail forks. One route runs directly up to Geitadalstind, while the other takes you around the foothills of Geitadalstind and then directly up to Ulvanosa. Follow the trail towards Geitadalstind which runs up the north ridge you see from your position. You will probably need to use your hands to scramble this ridge. The ridge takes you directly to Geitadalstind summit. Next, continue over to the south summit, unnamed, and slightly lower. Note that if you find the north ridge a bit risky, you can hike Geitadalstind from the west on the same ridge that one descends in order to get to Ulvanosa.

Ulvanosa

From the unnamed south summit next to Geitadalstind, observe that the ridge towards Ulvanosa requires climbing in the upper section. Follow the ridge that descends towards west (Englafjell). Pay attention to the terrain, and choose a location to descend towards the basin between Geitadalstind and Ulvanosa. Heading towards Ulvanosa, maintain the vertical gain, and aim for the ridge between the two mountains, or cross over slightly below the ridge. Then follow the hillside up to Ulvanosa summit.

Return route

Head down into the basin between Geitadalstind and Ulvanosa and cross over to the Geitadalstind foothills, following the "T" trail. The "T" trail will eventually take you back to the trail junction where you took the Geitadalstind trail. This trail section cross a dense boulderfield, where the rocks could be large and unstable. An option is to move higher up towards Geitadalstind. There are less rocks higher up, and Fagerdalsskardet pass (down to your left) seems a little further away.

Winter notes

There is a lot of boulder above 800m. If there is little snow, and the snow is soft, crossing the boulder sections is strenuous. The ridge up to Geitadalstind is rougher in winter conditions, and caution must be advised on this ridge. In icy or hard snow conditions, caution must be shown when passing Geitadalstind's west side.

Trip reports and Pictures


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