Finally, 14 years after the first attempt…
Index
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 21.04.24 | Hest | 1632m | Luster | Sogndal, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 21.04.24 | Såta | 1701m | 400m | Luster | WCP | MAP |
Sunday: The plan today was to drive to Leirdalen and ski Hest together with Storm (16) – the son of two good friends of ours. We had been talking about this trip for several years and I really hoped that this would be the day we’d do it. But unfortunately, Storm got unwell the day before and had to ask for a rain check.
Back in 2010, shortly after getting together with Anne, I joined Sogndal Turlag for a ski-trip to Hest, with Anne as one of the trip leaders. We didn’t get to the top back then, due to hard snow, a really steep hill and a good chance of falling 1400m into lake Veitastrondvatnet. I imagined I would be back soon, but time just passed by.
I was a little … mindful … about taking Storm – who didn’t have any mountain experience – up such a steep hill and so I decided to take the trip anyway, just to see exactly how this steep this hill was.
So, I went by myself while Anne was looking after Karma – which the plan was anyway.
As I drove into the upper Leirdalen valley – I could see Hest ahead of me and I really looked forward to be standing on top.
But my main goal wasn’t Hest. My main goal was Såta – a snow dome just beyond Hest. Såta was the prominent top here. Hest was more of an outcrop.
But first, the transport route…
The snow was quite hard in the lower forest. I really hoped that the snow would “butter up” as I got higher.
There are 3 routes to Hest. My route for today would be up the south ridge. But it’s also possible to go up the east ridge. I think the east ridge may be a little bit steeper. There is also an option to go below the east ridge, go up Hestbreen glacier and ascend Hest from the north.
After a while, I passed the Skaret cabin.
The view towards lake Tunsbergdalsvatnet and Leirdalen valley got better and better by the minute.
My first “checkpoint” was Nonskar – the pass between Grøndalseggi and Hest – and practically the only point where I could ascent the high ridge without digging my way through cornices.
Once on the high ridge, Hest was farther away than I remembered it to be.
Eventually, Hest presented itself in full right in front of me. It didn’t look so steep, but I knew there was one point at around 45 degrees.
I was a little uneasy skiing down into the saddle, as the snow was really hard. If I lost my grip, I would fall into Utledalen and who knows when I would have stopped.
But with Randonee equipment, why would I be afraid of sliding? Well, I must admit I had been a little sloppy when cutting the skins and, in some places, they covered the steel edges. A mistake I won’t be doing again…
I got down to the saddle and I decided to take the skis off and follow footsteps up the ridge.
To be on the safe side, I had put on crampons, and I had an ice axe. The axe came in very handy, but the crampons were not helping at all. Snow was just piling up under them.
It felt OK to have axe in the steepest part, a corridor between some rock and ice.
A little bit later, I was on top and could look back on the high ridge that I had been following.
But again – Hest was not my main goal. The Såta dome was…
As I went down Hest’s northern ridge, I could see a pair of tracks down Hestbreen glacier. It was tempting to follow them after visiting Såta, but as I didn’t know this route, I chose not to.
Going up Såta was very nice. The views got better and better by the minute.
Finding the high point on a snow dome is never easy. I have this technique where I curve around, gradually seeking a point where the gap between the horizon and the snow in front of me is the same in all directions. That would typically be very near the high point. I don’t care so much if I’ve missed it by a horizontal meter or two…
Såta was in the bag, and I was quite satisfied!
Being a peakbagger involves a whole lot of work…
Now what? Return the way I came? Descend Hestbreen or the east ridge? The two latter options were very tempting, but in the end, I chose to return the way I came…
The east ridge looked fun. I’m sure that when I return with Storm, we’ll check out this ridge, either on our way up, or on our way down.
The descent down the south ridge went much slower than going up. It’s just awkward going backwards. But after the steepest section, I could turn around and descend face-out.
The high ridge route back to Nonskar was not so fun. Lots of ups and downs.
Back at Nonskar, I was delighted to take the skins off and enjoy the 900 vertical meters back to the car. The upper part was just delightful. The lower part was not so fun, at least not until I reached the birch forest – where the snow was softer.
I called Anne when I got back in the car. She told me to pick up her and Karma by the Sogndal bridge, chillin’ by the waterfront.
Trip statistics: 18,2km, 1600 vertical meters, 5h:53m
Pictures (Canon EOS RP/Iphone 13 Pro Max) from the trip:
