UKH

I'm planning a training expedition to Hardangervidda this Feb (bloody virus pending of course); 2 weeks unsupported on skis, pulling pulks with tents etc.  With 2 weeks, should be enough time to partially circle the plateau, starting with the east (flatter; good for getting used to the pulks) and finishing with the west.

Does anyone have any recommendations for places worth visiting there, such as particular view points or good mountains for climbing on route?  I have a couple places in mind on the west side, but otherwise it will just be drawing a few lines on the map!  Most routes just seem to go one way north-south or via huts, neither of which will be relevant for us.

I would welcome the recommendations of anyone with experience/knowledge of the plateau (e.g. Norwegians!).

Thanks.

In reply to crayefish:

 To be honest it's all much of a muchness.  Hårteigen is already on the list I assume.

In reply to wbo2:

Indeed.  Suspected that was the case... but hoping for at least a couple of waypoints

In reply to crayefish:

I think it was called Mt Utne that I climbed whilst traversing the plateau. Nice

No it was Harteigen. Nice.

In reply to crayefish:

I wouldn't claim to know it well but I did a crossing a few years ago, in April, from Finse to Rjukan. I went in the style you are planning; pulk, tent etc. 

From what I saw, it's not really the place to go for view points! Finse is quite cool, especially seeing people kite skiing on the lake there. I remember thinking the lake south from Mårbu was neat, but then I didn't have much experience of skiing on frozen lakes at the time. 

Out of interest, what are you training for?

In reply to crayefish:

I've been up there twice. This winter we crossed it from South (Rujken) to NE (Dagali) following the line of the Saboteurs' escape route.

We used sacs rather than pulks, and it worked well for us. We had 3 out of 4 nights on the plateau in the tent, with a single night at Marbu.

The whole place is extremely wild and beautiful. When the weather clears and you can see it is breathtakingly beautiful - and desolate. When the weather is bad you could get into a bad situation very easily. Enjoy!

Steve 

Thanks for the responses so far chaps... appreciate the opinions.  I had anticipated that it would be much of a nothingness, with regards to spots to visit, but never hurts to ask

Is Harteigen relatively climbable in winter with just crampons, walking axes and basic pro?  Can't find anything on it for winter (not successful attempts anyway) and we're not planning serious climbing gear for this trip as its not a climbing trip per se; but just happy to add some as a bonus if we get the opportunity.  From the looks of it, its more of a summer climb.

Robert; I've got long term ideas of Iceland in winter, Greenland and unclimbed peaks, and maybe (if I find some money under the pillow) the poles in the far future.  So this was just a first step to ski/pulk polar type travel in a convenient location.  Not to mention, a bit of fun (this is probably a bigger driver for my friends joining).  

In reply to crayefish:

Cool! Enjoy Hardangervidda. I'm sure you're aware of this already but have a look at Sarek, in northern Sweden; I have it in mind as my next pulking destination. 

In reply to Roberttaylor:

Thanks!  Just hope we can get there with the virus.  Luckily Norway considered a tent as a suitable quarantine location.

Will have a look at that spot; haven't heard of it.  I'm also considering the Lyngen Alps in the future, as they look pretty spectacular and remote.

In reply to crayefish:

Been there once, crossed N-S using SC huts, so not directly relevant to your trip.

my memories are of considering a largish rock as a feature suitable as a lunch spot. Think a 80x100mile rumpled white duvet. There were times when the weather closed in it felt very remote.

my trip was inspired by reading ‘Skis against the atom’ as a kid. Knowing about what the saboteurs had achieved in such an unforgiving environment made the trip even more special.

I loved the trip, will be back soon for a W-E crossing I hope.

Have a great trip

In reply to crayefish:

I once climbed to the top of hardangerjokull on my classic track xc skis. It was April however, perfect weather. If possible it's really great views from up there. Not sure if Feb would be a go. The way was marked out with twigs and crevasses were plugged under a mammoth amount of snow. Getting back down was hilarious..rolled half the way. 

Hard anger vidda can be a brutal and dangerous place, basically it's the cairngorm plateau but 10000 times the size.  Really difficult (impossible?) to properly navigate with a map (20m contours) and compass in a whiteout so technology essential.

One time we were up learning to kite ski at haueklisetter fjellstue, but wind was so brutal I only got 1 x 30 second attempt all weekend. I took off flew 30m and landed on my head. Rest of the weekend we could hardly get out of the door of the hut. I,ll always remember that weekend cos a father and son team from Scotland perished a few miles away in the storm. 

Round Rogaland one danger more for late season is frozen lakes that are reservoirs and the water has been drained down under the ice...so if u did fall in you are well and truly finished. 

Would love to get back, norge pa langs  would be amazing...one day

In reply to crayefish:

I was there in February a couple of year back. Everything in the valleys closes up and the plateau resorts only open intermittently so it's quite bleak. However some good, unclimbed, ice can be found at various levels. As far as anyone is aware the only real climbing done there was by Will Gadd. The frozen waterfalls above eidfyord are worth a look for something scenic and if you fancy something a bit mad you can ski the dam wall....

I'd love to go back again and explore some more. 

In reply to Roberttaylor:

Been to Sarek eight times in summer. Greatest place for trekking in Western Europe IMO. Next time will be a winter trip, hopefully, Covid permitting!

CB

In reply to JohnBson: I think there's been a LOT of climbing done but it isn't recorded.

In reply to wbo2:

I think that's true for Norway in general. Kilometer high cliffs scattered all over the country but the climbing around Hathersage has more written about it.

Thanks everyone for your replies;  I appreciate the suggestions and the sentiments!

Whether we do the glacier will probably depend on whether we can get to Finse on the train (can't take public transport currently with the quarantine rules) but would definitely like to give it a go if it fits our route; with 'only' 2 weeks, can't see everything

The dam sounds like a laugh too!  As for climbing, would be just more general mountaineering rather than any ice climbing, as will just take a reduced kit (probably only a walking axe, crampons and a few ice screws, doubling as tent backups).  Work in progress.

Secretly hoping for some bitterly cold weather (though not storms) to make this polar training as realistic as possible.  Haha.  Our biggest sticking point will be whether flights are possible from the UK (the other 3 are living in the UK, where-as I am in Europe).  Worst case, if flights are a no go, then I'll drive there and go solo, though will mean purchasing a Garmin satnav/gps unit with In-Reach and a month of sat phone contract.  Hoping we can all go though!

This week I'll be buying the expedition pulk kit from Aguille Alpine... exciting!

In reply to crayefish: On current quarantine rules you won't get in the country , let alone Finse   I am pretty sure you'll get some rough weather.

If you don't have some experience please don't try this solo.  You will likely be ok, but if you get in the middle and things get rough, it will be rough,

Finally - why buy the expedition pulk in the UK - liited choice and I'd guess a premium price - buy one in Norway,.  Easy enough to get

In reply to wbo2:

Actually, current Norway rules are pretty good... can enter and even stay in BnBs or a tent as part of the quarantine etc, but no public transport.  All can change though.

Plenty of solo winter experience, including when things go wrong

As for the pulk; I want to get in some tyre training first with the harness and generally get used to building and packing the equipment, so I definitely want it before I go.  Plus, the AA kit has been to the South Pole many times with some challenging expeditions so I know it works.  Actually, most of the Norwegian stuff is more pricey and more difficult to find polar experience with.  AA and Akapulka seem to be the two most popular for the big expeditions.  Spent many months of research on this now!    Too much actually...  

In reply to crayefish: OK.  I live in Norway and so tend to look at Norwegian brands and shops.  

In reply to wbo2:

Doing research in English of course limits my exposure to Norwegian stuff.  But happy with my selection... if its good enough for Felicity Aston (first person to cross Antarctica solo with muscle power alone), I'm sure it will be more than I ever need