UKH

As the title says. Does anyone have any info on how Rjukan is looking at the moment? I'm not on Facebook so please don't send me a link.

Cheers

In reply to Bossys gran:

Ditto to this.... Heading out in a week and wondering whether it's worth driving beyond Rjukan or stick in the valley?

In reply to Bossys gran:

From what I've seen (on Facebook and Instagram) it's just Kroken and Gausta that are getting climbed currently.

In reply to Bossys gran:

One of my mates is out there now and getting out regularly

In reply to Bossys gran:

Any updates given heatwave forecast. Has Ozzimosis been in for example. Out in a fortnight.

In reply to gilliesp:

Just arrived this evening. It's a few degrees below at the mo and there's virtually zero snow. I'll probably take a look at 2 or 3 locations tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

In reply to Bossys gran:

Evening. So....+8 degrees at one point today....Krokan is pretty much as it always is except, unusually, it's not the coldest place on the planet and it's not buried in cruddy snow. Ozzi is nowhere near in its usual nick and is in need of colder temps. The Upper Gorge (as viewed from the road and bridge) isn't in great shape either. Bridge routes are forming but aren't in condition. There is lots of ice around it's just all a bit on the thin side. From this evening onward, it's cooling down quite a bit. Things here can change quickly so i'm remaining optimistic.....

In reply to Bossys gran:

Be grateful if you could keep posting updates

In reply to Doghouse:

Thank you for posting info , very helpful🤗🤗🤗

In reply to Bossys gran:

Hi and thanks. Any further observations, positives and of course negatives. Forecasts seem all over the place frankly. If Krokan is much the same does that mean river is frozen over? Cheers.

In reply to Bossys gran:

Does anyone have an update on conditions?

I've had a butchers in the logbooks, but can't see much being climbed!!

In reply to Bossys gran:

Hi. Things have cooled down in Rjukan thankfully. It's hovering around the zero mark throughout the day and dropping to a few degrees below at night. There's still no snow here. Krokan is fine with most of the routes 'in'. Yes the river is frozen and you can get down to the Fission Bowl area. It was mobbed on Sunday. I've not been back to Ozzi for a look. In terms of other 'stuff', I've taken chaps on Kvitta Ost, Fabrikfossen and Susses Veil. The Upper Gorge isn't in great shape. Both bridge routes aren't formed and neither are Backvein, Nye Vermorkfoss or Sabboteurfossen. The easier routes opposite are in slightly better shape (except Tracey's Eyes which isn't there at all really). Trappfoss looks a lot smaller than usual but may be doable. It's difficult to see from the hairpin. Juvsolya looks even more nails than usual (not sure you could get to the start actually...shame....was gonna be my big lead this year........oh well...) Further east down the valley Tjonnstadbergfossen looks a bit tasty in parts as the steeper sections haven't formed that well. Kvitta Ost aside, the stuff in Bolgen hasn't formed at all really. As I said before there is lots of ice around it's just not that fat. On the plus side, it makes you look a lot harder instead of just going to the usual haunts. I'll do another update at the end of the week.

Cheers

In reply to Bossys gran:

Awesome!

Thanks for the update.

In reply to Bossys gran:

Sincere thanks for such a comprehensive update. I hope conditions improve for you over next few days. Look forward to next update.

In reply to Bossys gran:

Hello again. Nothing hugely significant to report other than to say that things are fattening up, albeit slowly. Temperatures have definitely dropped with a low of around -8 on Thursday and regular freeze thaw cycles. ( I ended up back on a pi**wrapped Fabrikfossen....). There's been a temp inversion for the past few days with freezing fog rolling into the valley and leaving a very defined frost line!!! We had a team on Lettvan who said it was in great shape and I can tell you that the start of Backvein has touched down. I did hear reports of ascents but the individuals concerned didn't seem to know which route they were on or the grade?!?. I checked on Rjukanfossen on Thursday and it looks very thin. It may of course fatten up. I'm told that Ozzi is still very wet. Again, things coming on slowly but still plenty to do if you look for it. Snow forecast for tomorrow right around the time I head to the airport....yay.

Hope all those coming here have a goodun!

Cheers

In reply to Bossys gran:

We cut our losses and cancelled this morning. It was the, as you say, 'coming on slowly' aspect that did it for us. It wasn't going to be the ice Mecca that that we've grown to love past six years. Now researching Coigne for future - possibly as safety net destination but maybe the main one? Thanks for reports.

In reply to gilliesp:

That's a pity!
It looks as though Rjukan will be coming "in" over the next ten days or so. I had booked accommodation for that week, but other issues have caused me to cancel.

Looking on the Ice-fall conditions site http://conditions.ice-fall.com/ suggests that things are generally ok at La Grave, Cogne and Freissiniere, but it would be good to have specific accounts.

Last time I went to Cogne the heavy snowfall made me wish I'd taken skis.
Last time I took skis out there, for a ski ascent of the Paradiso, the avalanche situation made me wish I hadn't bothered.