Location N 61:53.043, E 011:31.025 (GPS on the summit)
Hedmark, Norway
Climbed June 8, 2003
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Information:
How to get there:
This description starts from the small community of Alvdal,
south of Tynset on Hwy. 3. Alternatively, one can arrive from the
south via Koppang or from the north via Tynset.
From the Tronsvangen intersection in Alvdal, go south on Hwy. 3, 19.3 km
and make a left on the road with signs for Jutulhogget. Follow this
dirt road up and across the hill, then down into Rendalen, 6.2 km. Make
a right towards Rendalen, continue 19.6 km through the small village
Øvre Rendalen and make a left to Fiskevollen. After 1.1 km, bear
right to Fiskevollen then 200 meter before a self serve toll payment.
In 2003, this toll was NOK 60. Continue 22.8 km along a very good dirt road
to Nysetra. This is shortly before the road crosses a river.
There is a private road going right, this road is closed about
700 meter from the turnoff. This road is considerably worse, find parking in
the immediate area. We parked near the road closure at about 860 meter
elevation and GPS location N :61:56.216, E 011:26.204. Route description:
From the road closure, hike along the road for about 4 km to
a well kept private mountain cabin near the river.
Three imposing peaks are in front of you across the river, the
North Sølen, the Middle Sølen, and the South Sølen.
There is a bridge just
north of the cabin and this serves as a good starting point
for a "Tour de Rensølen".
One can climb the highest, middle peak directly from this side along a
west facing ridge, however this description will cover the
route that traverses all three peaks.
From the bridge, look and identify a pronounced ridge that comes down from
the north peak. This ridge is gentle lower down, a bit more distinct in
the middle section, then more level at its upper end. Hike through the
birch forest, then across open terrain to the ridge. You will cross a
T-marked trail along the way. Climb the ridge (YDS) class 2, to the summit
located at GPS coordinates N 61:53.922, E 011:31.975.
From this summit head back the way you came, but descend down into the
distinct saddle between the north peak and the higher middle summit. This
saddle is at GPS coordinates N 61:53.403, E 011:31.312. The elevation was
determined to 1445 meter based on readings from two GPS instruments.
(Straight interpolation from the map would have yielded 1450 m.)
The imposing ridge of the middle peak is towering above you. This ridge offers
alternate routes. If you stay on the ridge itself, the route is (YDS) class 3.
Fun scrambling with slightly more difficult moves, but not more than
one at the time.
The rock is mostly of good quality, large boulders and short bands of
cliff that offers resistance as they block your line gently tilted
upwards towards the ridge line.
A few places the ridge offers difficulty that
exceeds class 3, circumvent to the left side in order to avoid this, but do
climb back as close to the ridge as comfortable as soon as one obstacle has
been overcome.
There is significant exposure on the right side of the ridge, but there
is no need to pick any part of the route there.
It is likley that the difficulty will not exceed class 2+ if one stays well
to the left side of the ridge most of the way. Such a route will be more
of an ascent among rocks and boulders on a mountain slope as opposed to the
better quality ridge itself.
The ridge levels off and the slope is more gentle the last stretch to the summit.
In order to continue the traverse of all three peaks, descend along a clearly
visible trail. This trail does not head out the shoulder pointing directly towards
the south peak, but descends on the east slope until reaching the east end of
the lake that is located just east of the
saddle separating the the middle peak from its lower south neighbor.
From the lake, continue uphill along the trail that heads south. Leave the trail
when the slope above you (to your right) is reasonable and continue more or less
straight up to the top ridge. This summit plateau is rather large and the highest
point is located at the far end. I would still recommend to climb the slope mainly
to the right in order to reach the top ridge above the lake that you hiked by before
ascending. You can then enjoy the views across to the imposing middle peak as well as
to the north while completing the climb.
The best return is to head straight down into the west side of the connecting saddle,
that is more or less directly back to the bridge where the (off-trail) hike began.
There is a gully stretching almost from the summit and down into the valley between
the south and the middle peak. This gully is snow filled in early June and provides
relief for knees and legs after a long hike. The snow is moderately steep in the
middle section, an ice axe is useful in order to arrest any unwanted slide. When
I descended the snow was near perfect for walking straight down. Return back to the bridge
where the dirt road starts. A direct line can be taken, the cabins near the
bridge is visible most of the time for easy control of the direction. Comments:
I did this climb with my friend Arnt Flatmo. We left the car
at 0915, and arrived at the north summit after 3 hours at 1215.
We left the north summit at 1230 and reached the highest, middle
summit after 1.5 hours at 1400. The descent from the highest
summit started at 1415, reaching the trail intersection at the
end of the lake (near the saddle between the middle and the south peak)
at 1500, and the south summit at 1615. Again, we left after a 15 minute
break and crossed the river near the mountain cabin at 1800, arriving
back at the car at 1845.
This is a considerable hike with a large vertical gain. The hike is
rewarding with good views of different mountain scenery. It varies from
easy walking on flat terrain to scrambling along the top ridge of the
highest peak. The trip should only be undertaken by strong hikers.
