Getting ready for the Easter break…

Peaks visited (Click on the Peak name link to go directly to the chapter):
Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP |
Synnevaskjer | 1543m | 133m | Sogndal/ Leikanger, Norway | WCP |
Saturday, Sogndal: We woke up to gorgeous weather, and I asked Anne if she were up for a ski-trip to Synnevaskjer. It’s a fairly risky ski-trip for her, given her unpredictable energy level. But she had a positive attitude and decided to give it a go. So, we drove up to the Hodlekve skiing centre to see how the day progressed…

I had bought a new pair of mountain skis – this time with steel edges. Hopefully, my skills in keeping clear of the dog had improved…
The trip into Stilledalen was easy, along a nice and prepared track. This was actually the start of our Easter break, and our last day in Sogndal before going to eastern Norway for Easter adventures. Not a bad way to start the holiday!

The last time we skied Synnevaskjer was in 2011, and we had forgotten where the normal route ran. So, we just followed some tracks and decided to see where they would lead us. They led us down to lake Vetla Trastadalsvatnet.

We were down far down in the narrow Trastadalen valley, and head to ski up along the river to find an easier place to ascend the ridge towards Synnevaskjer.

And then we stopped for a short rest.

Anne struggled up the ridge from lake Store Trastadalsvatnet, so we switched skis. I had short skins, she had long skins, and that was a world of difference.

Eventually, we got on Synnevaskjer’s south ridge and the views got more and more impressive by the minute.

It’s a long ridge – with 3km to the top. Across humps and bumps which we agreed to bypass on the way down.

And, after 3h:25m of skiing, we reached the top!

And I got my new skis back…

The Hurrungane mountain range looked close, when zoomed in. But the distance between us and Store Skagastølstind was 57,2km…

Then it was time for descent. The snow was a bit hard, so we had to take it nice and easy, but at least we were able to avoid some of the humps and bumps by staying a little west of the ridge.

And once back in Trastadalen, we now knew where the normal route was. It’s always a bit depressing to put the skins back on during descent, but necessary…

The feeling of completing such a nice ski-trip is something you carry throughout the day, and what a way to kick off Easter! Tomorrow would be a very exciting day, as we were going to the outskirts of Hardangervidda. Reports coming up soon!
Trip statistics: 20,6km, 1100 vertical meters, 5h:11m
Pictures (Canon 80D) from the trip: