How to get there:
The standard route to the summit of Store Knutsholstind is from the
small lake just north of the water divide in Svartdalen. Svartdalen leads
between Gjende lake and Bygdin lake, and the DNT huts Torfinnsbu or Gjendebu
make good starting points (Gjendebu is closer to the peak, and makes for
an easier approach.) You can get to Gjendebu by boat on the lake Gjende
from the touristhut Gjendesheim, this hut is on the road between the
major valley of Valdres and the Otta valley (a branch from the
Gudbrandsdalen valley). Better yet, start the hike from Gjendesheim
and walk the famous, but often crowded trail to Gjendebu, or hike
south of Gjende in an area with almost no hikers. Route description:
The only nontechnical route to the top starts from the first small pond/lake
north of the water divide in Svartdalen. A cairned route takes off to the east,
up the formidable-looking west face of Store Knutsholstind. The route is steep
but well-marked. After a while it angles north and flattens, until it reaches
a snow gully, angling almost directly towards the summit (at least when we were
there, but there was unusually much snow then). This gully, and another one
above it, is followed until it gets very steep, at this point the west ridge is
crossed and you follow some nice ledges on the southwest face before the cairns
lead up on the ridge again. From here you follow the ridge to the summit
(which is not far away). The summit is surprisingly big and flat, and the view
is really quite magnificent (on clear days).
Comments:
Resources:
Images
Knutsholstinden as seen from Nordre Knutsholstind.
This north-west ridge is nontrivial. It starts with a
steep drop, the continuation uphill is also steep.