Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost (original) (raw)
Overview
Blåmann (Blue Man) is the highest mountain on the island of Kvaløya. It is a landmark visible from long out to sea. The north face is a sheer, gently overhanging wall with mostly aid routes ranging from 7-14 pitches in length, most requiring more than a day. Recent climbing activity has focused on freeing some of these aid routes. While most of the mountains in the Troms area are comprised of decomposed Gniess with layers of sedimentary choss, Blåmann and the surrounding climbing areas of Kvaløya are a refuge of fine grained granite. The wall climbing consists of mostly thin discontinous cracks. See video in External Links section.
Blåmann's more gentle east slope route is tremendously popular as a day hike, and is second only to Tromsdalstind in popularity around the Tromsø region.
Getting There
First get to Tromsø, the town way up in the North of Norway. Almost everyone flies: SAS,and Norwegian Airlines are your choices. Driving is tedious on narrow two lane highways. There are no trains. The Coastal Steamer (hurtigruta) is fun, but slow and expensive.
Once in Tromsø, drive from the airport over the bridge to Kvaløya. Take a left on the roundabout, now you are driving on road 862. After about 8 kilometers, take a right at the sign for Ersfjordbotn. After 4 kilometers, Blåmann is abundantly visible. Continue following the shoreline until below the mountain. Continue driving over a small bridge over a stream. Less than a kilometer after the bridge, the shoulder widens, and a splash of red paint shows the beginning of the trail.
Red Tape
Welcome to almost rule free Norway. Act like a decent human being.
When to climb
For the east slope, as early as the snow melts enough. Usually this happens in late June. First real snows start in early October.
For big wall climbs, don't climb until July to avoid seepage in the cracks. Most climb at night because the midnight sun shines directly on the face in the wee hours of the morning, while it's in the shade at midday.