Solbakkafjellet
  • Solbakkafjellet
  • 461 m
  • Primary factor 178 m
  • Bergen, Norway
  • Location: North N60:18.035, E005:28.077 (GPS on the summit)
  • Difficulty: YDS class 1
  • Climbed: December 5, 2010

Information:

How to get there: Drive from Nestun (south in Bergen) across Vallaheiane to the lake Kalandsvatnet. Measure from the last traffic circle as you leave Nestun. Drive 6.2 kilometer and look for a road going left, there may be a sign saying Bontveit. This road is Hwy. 165 and the turnoff is at location N60:16.548, E005:25.061.
Drive this road about 1.2 kilometer and locate a side road that goes right. Take this across a small bridge, then fork right and continue about 150 meter. Just after a left curve and before the road gradually goes uphill again, you will see a small gate and a forest road/path that forks right. Park on the side of the road without blocking access. This is the trailhead, location N60:17.031, E005:25.800, elevation about 105 meter.
Route description: From the trailhead, follow the nice forest road as it climbs uphill and crosses the crest. Continue downhill on the other side, making one hairpin left curve before coming down to a more level area. The forest road forks here, take the right fork. Continue along this path as it winds its way and gradually climbs. At the top of a somewhat long uphill section, the path turns sharply left. Do not proceed, but leave the forest road and pick up a good trail that runs left, gently uphill along a ridge with pine trees. This trail has some red markers.
Follow this trail mostly uphill until you reach a summit point with a large cairn and a concrete pole located at a somewhat higher point nearby. This location is N60:17.872, E005:27.922, elevation 458 meter.
This is, however, not the summit. There are two small, but distinct humps further along, they are definitely higher. They are both quite similar in height, I shall assume that the last one is slightly higher at 461 meter, (my GPS gave it an edge).
There is a good view toward Gullfjellet, but also to large parts of Fana from a somewhat unfamiliar angle.
Comments: I left the trailhead at 1125, the weather was overcast, and it had snowed about 2 cm last night. The trail was quite easy to follow, but the thin layer of snow covered some extremely slippery sections of the trail. I arrived at the summit at 1235 and took some pictures as the clouds started to clear.
Proceeding along the ridge, I located the highest point. With my GPS showing about 4 meter more and the map showing a 460 meter contour line, it seems most correct to assign an elevation of 461 meter to this summit. It was quite a good day, the sun gradually regained its command, the rays reflecting off the new snow on Sotra, Lyderhorn and Løvstakken. I could see directly home to Nattlandsfjellet, the water tank near my house directly in view. I started down after 35 minutes. I could not but reflect on this being my last day aged 59, tomorrow will be a day with lots of fuzz, then a new decade starting with a 6 lies ahead. The "5" came and went, the sense of making the most of every day is even stronger now. Time is so precious, I still feel very much alive and I do hope that many more hikes and climbs lies ahead.
It took me exactly one hour back down to the car. The return had its scary moments as well. The new snow hides a lot of steel ice, the friction is essentially zero and in this respect, I am certainly not 25 any longer.

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