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Well just got back yesterday from lofoten and thought i'd write a few lines for people who search in future for info on it and to say hi to the Toby's and GM (gavin) whom i bumped into out there!
Getting there - we managed to do it on the cheap but took us several days and many uncomfortable nights including 1 in a graveyard in stockholm, basically you can get ryan air flights to stockholm for £25 return if you book in advance and don't mind travelling at stupid hours! from stockholm there is a train twice a day (17:00) and 20:00 ish that takes you to narvik (a 1000 mile 19hr journey) but if you are under 25 costs just £40 (SKr 560) return so worth the saving.. you can then get boats and buses as applcable..
We did the full journey including transfers, buses etc for £130 but it was hellish and tiring taking days (ideal for us scussy students)
Climbing there is amazing although i felt it gotta bit 'samey' after a bit, perfect jamming - no pain just jams that slotted in, amazing friction slabs, protection bomber (we placed a whole set of nuts every pitch really and very few cams)!
Camping - free out of site of house we stayed first near paradiset which is really nice but away from MOST of the action and then moved to underneath gandalf wall which is very convenient with enougth routes to keep you interested for 2 weeks within walking distance..
Must do's include Bare Blaeber, gandalf, gollum, guns n roses, light and shade, piano handlers Dream, and (vestpillaren although we didn't do it)! oh and goat frontside is great fun..
Had a wicked time, pefect weather (sometimes too hot to climb) and gotta hell of a lot of rock miles under my belt!
So for an alternate rock destination away from the crowds its deffo high up on the list and affordable if you plan well and have time!!
Matty K
Getting there - we managed to do it on the cheap but took us several days and many uncomfortable nights including 1 in a graveyard in stockholm, basically you can get ryan air flights to stockholm for £25 return if you book in advance and don't mind travelling at stupid hours! from stockholm there is a train twice a day (17:00) and 20:00 ish that takes you to narvik (a 1000 mile 19hr journey) but if you are under 25 costs just £40 (SKr 560) return so worth the saving.. you can then get boats and buses as applcable..
We did the full journey including transfers, buses etc for £130 but it was hellish and tiring taking days (ideal for us scussy students)
Climbing there is amazing although i felt it gotta bit 'samey' after a bit, perfect jamming - no pain just jams that slotted in, amazing friction slabs, protection bomber (we placed a whole set of nuts every pitch really and very few cams)!
Camping - free out of site of house we stayed first near paradiset which is really nice but away from MOST of the action and then moved to underneath gandalf wall which is very convenient with enougth routes to keep you interested for 2 weeks within walking distance..
Must do's include Bare Blaeber, gandalf, gollum, guns n roses, light and shade, piano handlers Dream, and (vestpillaren although we didn't do it)! oh and goat frontside is great fun..
Had a wicked time, pefect weather (sometimes too hot to climb) and gotta hell of a lot of rock miles under my belt!
So for an alternate rock destination away from the crowds its deffo high up on the list and affordable if you plan well and have time!!
Matty K
In reply to Mattyk:
Is there a quicker way to get there (if you have the money)?
Is there a quicker way to get there (if you have the money)?
In reply to Anonymous:
Fly to Bodo, probably via Oslo or Bergen, then catch the boat to Stamsund. Last time I checked it was very expensive but quick. If you have a bit more time I'd recomend flying to Bergen then catching the boat that goes to Nordkap via all sorts of places and letting you see much of the spectacular coastline. Expensive if you have a cabin but not so bad if you sleep on deck (assuming they still allow you to).
Fly to Bodo, probably via Oslo or Bergen, then catch the boat to Stamsund. Last time I checked it was very expensive but quick. If you have a bit more time I'd recomend flying to Bergen then catching the boat that goes to Nordkap via all sorts of places and letting you see much of the spectacular coastline. Expensive if you have a cabin but not so bad if you sleep on deck (assuming they still allow you to).
In reply to Anonymous:
Take the car on the ferry from Newcastle to Bergen (or somewhere else to Oslo) and drive the rest of the way. Longer but faster if you go to Oslo, shorter and slower but more scenic if you go to Bergen.
Take the car on the ferry from Newcastle to Bergen (or somewhere else to Oslo) and drive the rest of the way. Longer but faster if you go to Oslo, shorter and slower but more scenic if you go to Bergen.
In reply to all:
Quicker way - fly Oslo - Bodo - Leknes or all sorts of other combinations.. about £450 from what i heard!
Doug - the boat from bergen takes about a week i think... its a bit of a mini cruise
Guidebook - Climbing in magic isles by Ed webster 19.99 + a UK guide (i.e uk grades) is in production.
Mattyk
Quicker way - fly Oslo - Bodo - Leknes or all sorts of other combinations.. about £450 from what i heard!
Doug - the boat from bergen takes about a week i think... its a bit of a mini cruise
Guidebook - Climbing in magic isles by Ed webster 19.99 + a UK guide (i.e uk grades) is in production.
Mattyk
In reply to Mattyk:
was over 20 years ago that I did the boat trip but I thought it was a couple of days, maybe 3 but possible my memory is letting me down.
Magical place though, bit like Skye but more so (if that makes sense)
was over 20 years ago that I did the boat trip but I thought it was a couple of days, maybe 3 but possible my memory is letting me down.
Magical place though, bit like Skye but more so (if that makes sense)
In reply to anonymous
A one week trip is quite feasible if you fly all the way.
Route is UK - Oslo - Bodo - Svolvaer. This is a much closer airport to the main climbing (30 mins) than Leknes. You can leave Manchester/London in the morning and be on your first route at 6pm. same day. With 24 hour daylight you can climb yourself to a standstill in a week.
In July this year it was about £430 MCR - Svolvaer return.
Get out there it's fantastic. Vestpillaren the best E2 in the world??
A one week trip is quite feasible if you fly all the way.
Route is UK - Oslo - Bodo - Svolvaer. This is a much closer airport to the main climbing (30 mins) than Leknes. You can leave Manchester/London in the morning and be on your first route at 6pm. same day. With 24 hour daylight you can climb yourself to a standstill in a week.
In July this year it was about £430 MCR - Svolvaer return.
Get out there it's fantastic. Vestpillaren the best E2 in the world??
In reply to Jonathan Lagoe:
Anything there for mere mortals, ie <= Severe?
Anything there for mere mortals, ie <= Severe?
In reply to Simon Caldwell:
Not a huge amount at Severe, but Bare Blabaer is a 5 pitch, 600 ft. Hard Severe and is about as good a route as you can imagine. There is plenty to go at in the VS range and long mountaineering style ridges at easier grades which look great . Most of the climbing is the right side of vertical, very well protected and on perfect rock; so a confidence - building place to push one's grade.
Not a huge amount at Severe, but Bare Blabaer is a 5 pitch, 600 ft. Hard Severe and is about as good a route as you can imagine. There is plenty to go at in the VS range and long mountaineering style ridges at easier grades which look great . Most of the climbing is the right side of vertical, very well protected and on perfect rock; so a confidence - building place to push one's grade.
In reply to Doug: Like Skye, eh? Does that mean midges?
In reply to Simon Caldwell: A lot of it was very well protected VS's we did although the problem is that the existing guide is based on norweigan tech grades so translated to UK adjective is a bit hit and miss,
example: Bare blaeber decsribed above as HS, i might go as far as to say VS considering how sustained pitch 5 is whilst on planet fear website they give it HVS,
Likewise 'the skier' gets 6- and varies in gardes from HVS -E1..
and the cuckoo crack gets 6- but E2 according to my sources for a 'dodgy traverse' from what the guy who led it could see..
Severe - Piano handlers lund route and the backside of the goat 1910 route aswell as many ridges are the severe climbers niche...
You wanna be A VS LEADER i.e lead almost any VS to come to lofoten but it is good protection so a worthy place to push your grades!!
example: Bare blaeber decsribed above as HS, i might go as far as to say VS considering how sustained pitch 5 is whilst on planet fear website they give it HVS,
Likewise 'the skier' gets 6- and varies in gardes from HVS -E1..
and the cuckoo crack gets 6- but E2 according to my sources for a 'dodgy traverse' from what the guy who led it could see..
Severe - Piano handlers lund route and the backside of the goat 1910 route aswell as many ridges are the severe climbers niche...
You wanna be A VS LEADER i.e lead almost any VS to come to lofoten but it is good protection so a worthy place to push your grades!!
In reply to Mark: midges can be a problem but nothing compared with Skye,,
i'd also agree that it was like Skye but more!!
i'd also agree that it was like Skye but more!!
In reply to Mattyk:
Matty
Good to meet you. We got back yesterday, unfortunately a week short because my friend slipped and landed badly at the start of the third pitch of The Puffin Club - great route incidentally, the second crux pitch was probably the best pitch I climbed the whole time out there.
I can confirm that the climbing is first class, we had amazing weather - didn't expect to swim in the Arctic Circle but it was so warm, and the Norwegian health service is a fine institution. A couple of x-rays, a wait of half an hour that they apologised for, an ankle plastered, and a pair of crutches all for 70 quid seems very reasonable.
Has anybody who's climbed the WestPillar of Presten give me a little bit more info on it? This was the route I really wanted to do, what is the hardest pitch, is there anything really awkward or ran out (can you aid/free french it if you have to?) If I know enough I'd be tempted to go back for a week at some stage just to do it.
We did one other route that I want to recommend, Rum and Cola, an 8 pitcher that's very sustained. The grading was all at sea with what I thought was the crux pitch a 40metre dihedral getting a Norwegian 5, with several slabby sections that weren't too bad getting 5+. The walkin is a good bushwhack which might explain why we didn't see anybody else (maybe the rain too!).
The Cuckoo Crack was good fun, the crux was indeed the traverse and getting to it, but I think E2 is a little overgraded.
Matty, any chance you can e-mail me the MiniGuide (assuming Rockfax has no objection) I'd like to check some other grades and a few other things.
A week's unintentional rest before the next trip - a week in Lundy...yee-hah!
Matty
Good to meet you. We got back yesterday, unfortunately a week short because my friend slipped and landed badly at the start of the third pitch of The Puffin Club - great route incidentally, the second crux pitch was probably the best pitch I climbed the whole time out there.
I can confirm that the climbing is first class, we had amazing weather - didn't expect to swim in the Arctic Circle but it was so warm, and the Norwegian health service is a fine institution. A couple of x-rays, a wait of half an hour that they apologised for, an ankle plastered, and a pair of crutches all for 70 quid seems very reasonable.
Has anybody who's climbed the WestPillar of Presten give me a little bit more info on it? This was the route I really wanted to do, what is the hardest pitch, is there anything really awkward or ran out (can you aid/free french it if you have to?) If I know enough I'd be tempted to go back for a week at some stage just to do it.
We did one other route that I want to recommend, Rum and Cola, an 8 pitcher that's very sustained. The grading was all at sea with what I thought was the crux pitch a 40metre dihedral getting a Norwegian 5, with several slabby sections that weren't too bad getting 5+. The walkin is a good bushwhack which might explain why we didn't see anybody else (maybe the rain too!).
The Cuckoo Crack was good fun, the crux was indeed the traverse and getting to it, but I think E2 is a little overgraded.
Matty, any chance you can e-mail me the MiniGuide (assuming Rockfax has no objection) I'd like to check some other grades and a few other things.
A week's unintentional rest before the next trip - a week in Lundy...yee-hah!
In reply to Doug:
Just back from Skye having also been in Lofoten two weeks ago so I'm going to offer an opinion on that: 'more so' is a violent understatement. OK Lofoten (at least the Vagakallen area where most of the established climbing is located) is visually a little like Skye in that the mountains are a similar height and come out of the sea but in terms of acreage of rock and scale of the faces Lofoten is closer to Yosemite than anywhere in the UK.
> Magical place though, bit like Skye but more so (if that makes sense)
Just back from Skye having also been in Lofoten two weeks ago so I'm going to offer an opinion on that: 'more so' is a violent understatement. OK Lofoten (at least the Vagakallen area where most of the established climbing is located) is visually a little like Skye in that the mountains are a similar height and come out of the sea but in terms of acreage of rock and scale of the faces Lofoten is closer to Yosemite than anywhere in the UK.
In reply to GM:
Alan's MiniGuide-in-preparation has a pretty good description for Vestpillaren. No there's nothing awkward or run out - just a great climb. Do Long Tall Sally at Burbage 50x in succession and you'll be well prepared.
> Has anybody who's climbed the WestPillar of Presten give me a little bit more info on it? This was the route I really wanted to do, what is the hardest pitch, is there anything really awkward or ran out (can you aid/free french it if you have to?) If I know enough I'd be tempted to go back for a week at some stage just to do it.
>
>
Alan's MiniGuide-in-preparation has a pretty good description for Vestpillaren. No there's nothing awkward or run out - just a great climb. Do Long Tall Sally at Burbage 50x in succession and you'll be well prepared.
In reply to GM:
Hi GM,
I climbed Vestpillaren two weeks ago with TobyFK. Don't believe anything he say he is very experienced, talented and skinny. I might just sneak into the experienced bit, but I am neither of the others!
I lead E1 finger and hand cracks (but not much else) as long as they are vertical or less, I'm feeling happy, I like my partner, its not too hot, its not too cold, my shoes aren't hurting and Venus is rising in Virgo. I didn't fall off once on the 12 pitches of Vestpillaren, TobyFK led all the hardest pitches (2,3,7 and the big slanting corner whatever that is - maybe 9) but I seconded carrying "Piglet" - our rucsac. They were all hard but not desperate. We both agreed that 7 is the hardest not the Slanting Corner pitch higher. But if you do 2 and 3 you can make it up the rest.
Toby thought 7 might be touching 5c, but on the basis I didn't fall off and did it with a pack on, I'd say 5b.
So although there is nothing harder than 5b, there also isn't anything easier than 4b, and most of the other pitches that I led were 5a, and one that is graded 5a/b. So you don't get much chance to rest.
One top tip is tape up - its amazing the first pitch is 50 mtrs of HVS hand jamming that I climbed twice as quickly as I would normally because with tape gloves on you can jam very fast and with a lot of security.
We had fantastic weather which helped a lot psychologically it would be well scary racing bad weather up the route. There are not badly protected parts, the very last moves on pitch 11 to get into the exit gully is weird, and the book says poor pro, but with double ropes and half a brain it is fine for both leader and second. Take loads of cams including a very small one if poss (we had a .0 and .00) lots of nuts and lots of QDs. I took some of my rockcentrics but Toby said he has forgetten how to use hexes! (They good for belay etc. meaning you keep all your cams for leading.)
We took 2 lts of water and it wasn't enough on a warm sunny day. We ran out with three pitches still left. Very thirsty but very happy on the summit.
Mail me if you want to know anything else.
Hi GM,
I climbed Vestpillaren two weeks ago with TobyFK. Don't believe anything he say he is very experienced, talented and skinny. I might just sneak into the experienced bit, but I am neither of the others!
I lead E1 finger and hand cracks (but not much else) as long as they are vertical or less, I'm feeling happy, I like my partner, its not too hot, its not too cold, my shoes aren't hurting and Venus is rising in Virgo. I didn't fall off once on the 12 pitches of Vestpillaren, TobyFK led all the hardest pitches (2,3,7 and the big slanting corner whatever that is - maybe 9) but I seconded carrying "Piglet" - our rucsac. They were all hard but not desperate. We both agreed that 7 is the hardest not the Slanting Corner pitch higher. But if you do 2 and 3 you can make it up the rest.
Toby thought 7 might be touching 5c, but on the basis I didn't fall off and did it with a pack on, I'd say 5b.
So although there is nothing harder than 5b, there also isn't anything easier than 4b, and most of the other pitches that I led were 5a, and one that is graded 5a/b. So you don't get much chance to rest.
One top tip is tape up - its amazing the first pitch is 50 mtrs of HVS hand jamming that I climbed twice as quickly as I would normally because with tape gloves on you can jam very fast and with a lot of security.
We had fantastic weather which helped a lot psychologically it would be well scary racing bad weather up the route. There are not badly protected parts, the very last moves on pitch 11 to get into the exit gully is weird, and the book says poor pro, but with double ropes and half a brain it is fine for both leader and second. Take loads of cams including a very small one if poss (we had a .0 and .00) lots of nuts and lots of QDs. I took some of my rockcentrics but Toby said he has forgetten how to use hexes! (They good for belay etc. meaning you keep all your cams for leading.)
We took 2 lts of water and it wasn't enough on a warm sunny day. We ran out with three pitches still left. Very thirsty but very happy on the summit.
Mail me if you want to know anything else.
In reply to GM: Sorry to hear about your mate, i hope he's ok...
Mini guide - its probably best if you contact Andy Hyslop who is the brains behind the miniguide (not alan - Toby, i may have told you wrong) He might appreciate your comments on grades too..
Rum and cola looks good, i assume the route finding wasn't as difficut as it claims? We were gonna have a go but sans car were relegated to Henningsvaer!
Vestpillaren - We started the first pitch of the normal rote which is probably only about E1 as less pitches of 6- but it was soaking wet - as Toby says if you are have any doubt over your ability you want weather and everything to be in your favour... We were dreading being at bottom of pitch 7 or 8 with a huge rain cloud coming in .. it'd be a very expensive retreat...
Will go back when I can climb the direct start in style, Gavin don't waste a good climb by aiding it wait till you are good enough and you'll probably enjoy it a lot more!
Did you think bare baleber was HS or VS... i thought VS for how sustained pitch 5 was? what do you think??
Enjoy the 6 months off - and enjoy Lundy
Matty K
Mini guide - its probably best if you contact Andy Hyslop who is the brains behind the miniguide (not alan - Toby, i may have told you wrong) He might appreciate your comments on grades too..
Rum and cola looks good, i assume the route finding wasn't as difficut as it claims? We were gonna have a go but sans car were relegated to Henningsvaer!
Vestpillaren - We started the first pitch of the normal rote which is probably only about E1 as less pitches of 6- but it was soaking wet - as Toby says if you are have any doubt over your ability you want weather and everything to be in your favour... We were dreading being at bottom of pitch 7 or 8 with a huge rain cloud coming in .. it'd be a very expensive retreat...
Will go back when I can climb the direct start in style, Gavin don't waste a good climb by aiding it wait till you are good enough and you'll probably enjoy it a lot more!
Did you think bare baleber was HS or VS... i thought VS for how sustained pitch 5 was? what do you think??
Enjoy the 6 months off - and enjoy Lundy
Matty K
In reply to Mattyk:
I originally thought HS, but on reflection maybe VS is better. Nevertheless if you have a decent rack it would be hard to hurt yourself on it.
> Did you think bare baleber was HS or VS... i thought VS for how sustained pitch 5 was? what do you think??
I originally thought HS, but on reflection maybe VS is better. Nevertheless if you have a decent rack it would be hard to hurt yourself on it.
In reply to TobyA:
Absolutely: take lots of hexes. And offset Friends if you can get hold of them. And ice-hammered-in-extremis HB offset wires are a great help too. Make sure you only have one set of 'real' wires....
> I took some of my rockcentrics but Toby said he has forgetten how to use hexes! (They good for belay etc. meaning you keep all your cams for leading.)
>
>
Absolutely: take lots of hexes. And offset Friends if you can get hold of them. And ice-hammered-in-extremis HB offset wires are a great help too. Make sure you only have one set of 'real' wires....
Congratulations to both Tobys on getting up the WestPillar - I had a good long ogle with the binoculars and it looked brilliant. And the doctor who treated my friend told me the climbing is supposedly excellent...I can well believe it. Thanks TobyA for the extra info - I'm not going to be doing it soon as I just got back from Lofoten on Wednesday but I would consider a one week trip with the specific intention of climbing it, and you've given me enough to make me wanna go back for it. Long, sustained trad is just what I like, with the odd pitch pushing you.
Matty, I don't want to aid it, I want to know that if I've got far enough up it that you can't reverse it and a storm comes in, that I can finish it. And I'm egotistical to think I can do it at the moment!
As for Bare Ballebaer, I thought it was HS, the jams were just too good and the angle soft enough for it not to feel committing at all. I don't think there was any 4c in it, and it was as protectable as anything can be. However my mate thought it was VS... all I'd say is the grades on Lofoten seem particularly debatable. And as for the guidebook, it did seem a trifle egocentric. We particularly didn't enjoy the descent from the Reine slab (which isn't even in Reine) and the slab should've been bolted. The descent was abseiling off bushes and gnarly downclimbing slimy gullies...the Italians who apparently put some bolts in to Websters chagrin should be hailed!
Anyway a great holiday, gotta look forward to the next one. The WestPillar is on the must return to list now, thanks for the comments.
Matty, I don't want to aid it, I want to know that if I've got far enough up it that you can't reverse it and a storm comes in, that I can finish it. And I'm egotistical to think I can do it at the moment!
As for Bare Ballebaer, I thought it was HS, the jams were just too good and the angle soft enough for it not to feel committing at all. I don't think there was any 4c in it, and it was as protectable as anything can be. However my mate thought it was VS... all I'd say is the grades on Lofoten seem particularly debatable. And as for the guidebook, it did seem a trifle egocentric. We particularly didn't enjoy the descent from the Reine slab (which isn't even in Reine) and the slab should've been bolted. The descent was abseiling off bushes and gnarly downclimbing slimy gullies...the Italians who apparently put some bolts in to Websters chagrin should be hailed!
Anyway a great holiday, gotta look forward to the next one. The WestPillar is on the must return to list now, thanks for the comments.
In reply to GM: Bare Blåbaer at HS or VS is a bit like Vestpillaren at E1 or E2. There isn't really any E2 climbing on Vestpillaren but does loads of E1 pitches on top of each other make and E2. Similar thing for Bare Blåbaer, its not too hard but you just have to keep going at it for five 50 mtr pitches or whatever it is. I could imagine someone who has only manage two or three HSs on Stanage getting a bit freaked by it!
In reply to TobyA:
Much as I hate the American system of grading (led a 5.7 pitch that was one of the scariest I've ever led - graded 5.7d jokingly by a local) it does have it's advantages in terms of the R and X, and also for long routes - I think the WestPillar would get a grade IV or maybe even a grade V. Calling an 11 pitch route "E1" or "E2" is pretty meaningless...
but I beg to differ on Only Blueberries! Was not technically a problem, bolted belays so rapping off no problem, was not committing at all. Good route though.
Much as I hate the American system of grading (led a 5.7 pitch that was one of the scariest I've ever led - graded 5.7d jokingly by a local) it does have it's advantages in terms of the R and X, and also for long routes - I think the WestPillar would get a grade IV or maybe even a grade V. Calling an 11 pitch route "E1" or "E2" is pretty meaningless...
but I beg to differ on Only Blueberries! Was not technically a problem, bolted belays so rapping off no problem, was not committing at all. Good route though.
In reply to GM: yeah but everybody who rapped off that day got there ropes stuck, ours were freed by the finnish guys behind us and theres got stuck too with nobody above to help! They did sort it but i'm glad we weren't last!
so Bare blaeber - beware of getting ropes stuck.... you will!!
so Bare blaeber - beware of getting ropes stuck.... you will!!
In reply to Mattyk:
Some pictures of Mr Archer on Vestpillaren here: http://www.foordkelcey.net/vp.htm
Some pictures of Mr Archer on Vestpillaren here: http://www.foordkelcey.net/vp.htm
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