UKC

Hi,

Any recommendations for the best/most comprehensive guidebook for multipitch climbs in the Nissedal area? Preferably looking for photo topos.

Thanks in advance,
Ric

In reply to Rickrick:

I have no idea if this is the 'best' guidebook, but it is easily available and has some of the best routes.

http://www.rockfax.com/climbing-guides/miniguides/nissedal/

We are discontinuing MiniGuides over the next few months and that one will move to an App version hence it isn't going to be available for long.

Alan

In reply to Rickrick:

I've used the Gå Telemark guidebook, the Rockfax miniguide and free online guide below.

Rockfax is the only guide with photo topos, although the route selection is very limited. Particularly when some routes (eg Mot Sola) can suffer from seapage. Some of the routes used for abseil descent are also omitted (eg Gone with the Weed). I would say it's the least useful for these reasons. The Rockfax topos are helpful for identifying obvious lines such as Mot Sola and Hägar. Otherwise once on the routes I've never had a problem with route-finding irrespective of which guide was with me. Many of the routes also have the names written on the rock at their bases.

This free online guide is very good:

http://www.osifjell.no/arkiv/klatreforer_nissedal.pdf

The Gå Telemark guide has the best coverage if you're willing to track down and pay for a copy. Particularly away from Hægefjell. It also shows the routes in relation to one another a little more, which helps for when trying to find an abseil. It uses a mixture of Nordic and UIAA grades to slighly confuse matters, however I've found it to be the most accurate for grading in spite of this.

I'd use either the free guide or Gå Telemark guide for the general coverage. Get the RF guide as well if you think the wide angle photos will help you find the base some of the routes. Also the stuff in English (although nothing essential to know). There's a bit to pay for parking and camping at Hægefjell so bring some hard cash.

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

Thanks Alan, any idea when the RF Nissedal guide will be moving to App version?

Ric

In reply to Mr. Lee:

Thanks Big Lee,

I'm looking to go early next year for a quick trip, and depending how good it is may go back again later in the year. What month would you say it's normally ice/snow free and pleasant enough for multipitch?

Ric

In reply to Rickrick:


We are working on it at the moment but since it is such an old guidebook, the conversion process is considerably longer. However the plan is to make it available for this winter season.

Alan

In reply to Rickrick:

On Hægefjell snow melt is the main factor. Snow can remain at the top of the routes until early spring. I got a route done during the first half of May this year. Still a lot of seapage from snow melt but we found a dry route. It was cold spring this year and don't know whether sooner is possible on other years. The access road was still winter closed for the final few km despite being snow free. We parked up and walked from the point of closure but another group drove around the road block. Some people I know who visited shortly after said the access road was open. I'd probably leave it until late May to be safe, unless happy climb whatever is dry, or switch to a plan B altogether.

In reply to Rickrick:

The German guide is unfortunately, atrocious, pity to slate somebody else's hard work but the free topo-sketches and the rockfax downloads are a lot more accurate/helpful.
Link you have from "Big Lee" here is good one. Still some developments going on, new bolted and semi-bolted multi on both Bærumslandsfjellet and Skålfjell, not sure who is doing the work (!) Mid-grade-ish.
Trad is best up at Hægefjell plus the classics on Bærum. Let us know if you need any more tips, local or otherwise.
Gå Telemark is around 300kr (£30+ ish).
Good luck!

In reply to Rickrick:

17th of May (the national holiday!) is around the time the boom road/track opens up, depending on the winter as mentioned. Would warmly recommend against driving in or around any obstructions as this may cause probs with the access, the road is private, hence the fee. The gravel is soft from melt, hence the rules. It is a long walk from the last public road!! (All this just applies to Hægefjell btw, other possibilities with easier access, albeit not so good... )
June is a good month to come, better weather, long days, road from Setesdal over to Kjerag open etc.

In reply to Rickrick:

I climbed in this area in summer 2015 and have also used the Gå Telemark guidebook, the Rockfax miniguide and free online guide which was linked to above.

I found the Gå Telemark to be by far the most useful overall and wouldn't want to visit the area without it. As mentioned above, the Rockfax just offers a too small selection. The free guide also has only a relatively small fraction of the routes presented in the Gå Telemark, and imo lacks a bit on overview and homogeneity of the information.

Just a note, here are my reports of some routes we climbed (in German though, pictures may still inspire):
http://mdettling.blogspot.ch/2015/07/nissedal-haegefjell-feuervogel-6a.html
http://mdettling.blogspot.ch/2015/07/nissedal-baremslandfjellet-spionfuhre-...
http://mdettling.blogspot.ch/2015/07/nissedal-haegefjell-sunset-boulevard-6...

In reply to Rickrick:

You might notice that everybody posting replies owns a copy of all three guides, which pretty much sums up the guidebook situation. I actually bring all three to Nissedal. I sometimes take all the guidebooks on the route as well, or whichever guides cover the route in question. I can't think of anywhere else that I have done this. Which guidebook is best is therefore a little academic as quite often I'll refer to some/all of them and compare. Two of the guides are printouts and weigh almost nothing. The Gå Telemark guide is maybe slightly smaller than A5 and about 1 cm thick. The three of them probably weigh no more than a couple of sandwiches. The Gå Telemark has the best coverage but I got by without it for the first couple of weekends that I visited. Think you'd find more variety with it if looking to explore some of the other crags in the area besides Hægefjell. I find the free online guide a little confusing re location of some of the crags and routes but it could just be me not making the effort to understand.

In reply to Cellinski:

Hi Cellinksi,

Thanks for the blog posts- the place looks amazing. Have you climbed in Setesdal in summer too? I'm wondering whether to combine the two areas into one trip, or whether Setesdal is an outright better choice than the Nissedal area?

Also, any recommendation of where the Ga Telemark guide can be purchased?

Thanks

In reply to Rickrick:

Did a few days in Setesdal last summer. I've done better climbs in Nissedal vs. Setesdal with more memorable features but that could just be my experience. I've only done sport routes in Setesdal. The Setesdal guidebook awards stars way too generously I thought. Somewhere I'd like to go back to. Definatly worth the visit for a few days. This is one long route I climbed:

http://leeharrisonclimbing.blogspot.no/2014/06/fossegrimen-uiaa-vi-setesdal...

You could alternatively check out Andersnatten. Den Hvite Stripa is classic although needs a little time to dry after rain. About HVS/E1. Slighty easier than Mot Sola I thought.

http://leeharrisonclimbing.blogspot.no/2015/10/den-hvite-stripa-n6-andersna...

In reply to Mr. Lee:

Forgot to include the Gå Telemark links:

https://www.vpg.no/Avdelinger/Klatring/F%C3%B8rere-og-b%C3%B8ker/Klatref%C3...

https://www.oslosportslager.no/produkt/g%C3%B6tz-wiechmann-ga-telemark-klat...

You won't find the book sold locally in Nissedal unfortunatly.