Blåmann
As described in
Mountain Holidays in Norway, 1963,
'Its north wall is a formidable precipice' -- no less.
The north face is very spectacular, in the summer you can climb in the
sun at night, and it offers a challange worthy a huge grade VI wall.
You mainly find steep well protected
aid routes that are about 10-12 pitches long.
Atlantis has
been freed a few times, and
Arctandria once recently,
but at around 8-/8 (7b+) to 9-/9 it is not an
easy outing.
The north face is about 350-400 m high, slightly overhanging and
very compact and solid. The dihedrals have sharp cornes and the cracks are
thin and often sharp. Despite the very solid nature, there are some loose
passages on Atlantis.
The south-pillar has a more gentle angle and provides easy free
climbing.
From Tromsø, continue past Ersfjorden
about 5 km -- you can't miss the wall.
There is a small dirt road just north of the quarry leading towards
the wall from the main road. You can park by the main road, or at the end
of the dirt road. About 35 min from Tromsø.
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Behind the house at the end of the dirt road
(a storage building for explosives) there is small and undefined path
leading towards the slabs under the wall. Stay clear of the steep slabs
at the left and the slabs will provide a nice approach taking
about 1 - 2 h.
The south-pillar can be gained through two ways. Either walk up the normal
approach to the top (the descent) and the head left under the south pillar on
small paths, or walk up Blåmannsvikdalen and up the steep side
below the pillar. Each way takes about 1.5 h
From the top there is well defined and often used trail taking you back to
the road, but it is steep so one should be careful when it is dark and wet.
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The wall is facing north, and will have sun from around 8 in the
evening until early morning during the summer.
There will be seepage on Atlantis after rain, and
it can stay wet a long time after a longer period of rain.
The other routes are drier and cleaner, but you should expect wet parts.
The best season is late summer, when the wall usually is dryer than in the
early summer because of the melting snow.
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rope, a light-weight aid rack, bivouac gear. The
face is fairly well protected.
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You can usually find water either just below the snow field under
the wall, but often there is also a small stream close to the start of
Ultima Thule.
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- a. Nordveggen
- The proper Blåmann!! Steep and
intimidating.
- b. Sydpilaren
- The south-pillar of Blåmann gives an about 300 m long
easy route of a both airy and beginner-friendly character.
The rock is solid
and the potential for gear is very good.
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