Eidskyrkja, May 26 2024

Arnt Flatmo - Fjordpeaks.com

2 years ago

The final ski-trip this season

Index

Date	Peak	Height	PF	Location	WCP/FP	MAP
26.05.24	Eidskyrkja	1462m	1037m	Volda, Norway	WCP	MAP

Sunday: I had a lot of nice ski-trips this spring, but it felt like something was missing. Something like … Eidskyrkja – a super-classic Sunnmøre spring ski-trip.

If I were to go, I would definitely have to carry the skis for a while, but it would surely be worth it. I told Anne that I wanted to go – she didn’t want to join and said she would look after Karma. I didn’t have the heart to bring the dog up this mountain in this warm weather, even if there would be good access to water and snow.

When I parked at Skinnviksætra, the temperature was 27 deg. C.

I had a full backpack, with skis and boots, crampons (I had no idea what the glacier would be like) and all other stuff needed if I got an injury and had to spend time on the snow.

I hiked with low terrain shoes. They were properly wet already after 10 minutes.

I soon ran into pitches of snow, but not the kind that would make me get the skis off the backpack.

The trailhead was at 390m. At 680m, after ~30 minutes of hiking, I could finally put the skis on.

I had to take them off again for a short crossing, but that was no bother.

Now the skis would not come off until the top!

I had been up here late in the season before and knew that the snow could be hard as ice. Today, it was as perfect as it could get, given the time of year.

Corn snow, but the surface was just soft enough to avoid a bumpy ride on my way down.

The only potential problem was – what kind of weather was I heading into? The forecast was just golden…

But now that I was on the high glacier, nothing (except lightning and thunder) would prevent me from reaching the top.

Looking back on the pass where I came up

As I approached the top, I wondered if Eidskyrkja actually was a volcano and had just started to erupt…

But it was just dark clouds…

…and soon I was up!

Looking around, it absolutely felt like this would be the last ski-trip this season. Just to have skied in June also, I could always go back to Trollstigen, but it didn’t really feel important.

Sunnmøre alps. Slogen and Jakta is seen right of center

I prepared for the descent. The snow was sticky, and I had to use my poles to get off the top.

But as the downhill began, skiing was pure joy!

On the glacier below Kollefjellet, I stayed on the west side – trying to get “momentum” when I turned left below Store-Eidskyrkja – as that’s where the snow was.

Turning left here (or right on the picture…)

But the momentum was soon lost, and I had to put the skins back on. I told myself that this was probably not the best spot for a technical break and put the skins on in no time.

As I didn’t go this way up, I had to search for a route that would connect with the shoes I left behind when I put the skis on. In places, I was in “interesting terrain”…

It was altogether a beautiful trip, and I only had a mild stroke of bad conscience when I got back home. I took Karma down to Tovågen so that she could cool off.