Blåhøe
  • Blåhøe
  • 1617 m
  • Primary factor 762 m
  • Near Otta, Oppland, Norway
  • Location North 61:53.860, East 009:16.949 (GPS on the summit)
  • Difficulty, YDS class 1.
  • Climbed on March 3, 2006.

Information:

How to get there: A good trailhead is Horgesætrin, south-east of the summit. Measure from the intersection on E-6 in the village of Otta where Hwy. 15 forks left up the Otta valley. This is 110 kilometer north from Lillehammer along E-6. Continue E-6 north for 19.5 kilometer where there is a signed road going left near a place called Rostbakken. Drive under the railroad, then two switchback curves uphill before the road levels out and runs south to the farm Haugen. This is 2.6 kilometer after you turned off E-6. At the farm, the road turns right and after 100 meter stop and pay toll. (Self serve, pay in the box on your right side, take a receipt to leave in the car.) In winter 2006, the toll was NOK 35. Continue uphill 2.5 kilometer where the road forks, take the left fork and continue perhaps another 100 meter, then park. Do not block local driveways. This is the trailhead, elevation 870 meter, location N61:52.249, E009:21.647.
Route description: From the trailhead, ski north-west towards Horgenose (1429m). Stay left (south) of this peak and ski up to the shallow saddle between this peak and Blåhøe. Climb the final slope by a traverse to the right then up to the summit.
A slightly longer route that is even more gentle stays south of Blåhøe then climbs into the small Ådalen valley and gains the summit from the north-west.
Comments: I did this climb with my son Pål Jørgen, age 16. The weather was overcast and about minus 12 Centigrade at the trailhead, perhaps minus 20 at the summit. We left the car at 0940 and made the summit after 1.5 hours of easy skiing. The summit actually had blue sky and sunshine, it looked like the only such spot in Norway. The temperature and a slight breeze called for a short stay, we left after 15 minutes and skied back down in 50 minutes. The slopes had too little snow and too many rocks, otherwise the skiing time back down would have been much shorter.
There is a large communication (antenna) tower at the summit. The summit is also served by a road from the west, this road is closed in winter. The road status in summer is unknown.

Resources: