Location: North 69:42.162, East 018:59:778 (GPS at the summit)
Climbed May 10, 2012.
Difficulty: YDS class 1.
Information:
How to get there:
This is the highest point on the island where the (central) city of Tromsø is located.
The island highpoint is relatively far towards the northern end. Locate the traffic circle on
the main road to Kvaløya, just before the road runs below the airport runway. Make a right
and drive north on the east side of the airport. You will eventually arrive to an area with many family
houses scattered on the hillside. Take the most natural (main) road as it heads uphill and try to
drive as high as possible. At the end you will be heading south in a dead end road. Park at the
very end, this is location N69:42.036, E018:58:989, elevation about 78 meter.
Route description:
A small trail runs around the corner and descends slightly to a larger trail that also is a
lighted ski track in the winter. Continue up the small valley (that is going left) until you
arrive at a trail intersection. Take the trail that forks right and uphill (east). Follow this
trail uphill, then go left in order to reach the highest point of the hill.
Comments:
I had been skiing Kjølen on Kvaløya, but there was still some time before I was scheduled
to pick up Åke at the airport at 2025. Thus, I figured that I could visit the island highpoint
before going to the airport. I assumed that there would be a well used trail to this location.
However, this turned out not to be the case. I followed the lighted track (on foot), then opted for going
uphill (north) instead of turning right. Big mistake! I soon found myself struggling in rotten, uphill
snow to my waist. Steep uphills with dense mountain birch trees and rotten snow is about as bad as it
can get. My GPS said that I needed to go another 200 meter, this is A LOT whith this kind of conditions!
I realized that I would not make the agreed upon time in the airport, but figured that Åke could call me
and that I would not be very late.
I made the summit, stayed two minutes and hurried down the more proper route. It had taken me 25 minutes to
ascend and another 10 minutes to descend. I was back at my car at 2035, 10 minutes after the scheduled arrival time
of Åke's flight. Arriving at the airport, I noticed that the flight was 15 minutes late and that the very first
passengers had just started to arrive. A happy ending to an easy climb that turned into a short, but
unexpected struggle.
