Telemark Skiing to Mount Smørbottinden in Rauma Municipality (04.04.2020)  5


Start point Skorgedalen (315m)
Endpoint Skorgedalen (315m)
Characteristic Randonnée/Telemark
Duration 2h 50min
Distance 8.0km
Vertical meters 893m
GPS
Ascents Smørbottinden (1,189m) 04.04.2020
Visits of other PBEs Parkering Skorgedalen (305m) 04.04.2020
Shortly after start. The summit called Kvasstinden is seen in the middle of the image. The mountain to the right is part of Smørbottind, though the summit is not visible on this image, as it is hidden behind what you se.
Shortly after start. The summit called Kvasstinden is seen in the middle of the image. The mountain to the right is part of Smørbottind, though the summit is not visible on this image, as it is hidden behind what you se.

On this day I went ski touring (by Telemark skies) to the summit of Mount Smørbottind. The mountain is not extremely high, only 1188 m.a.m.s.l., but you start out from a parking lot located at 315 meters, hence you do ascend almost 900 meters as you climb the mountain.

Due to the corona virus pandemic, the Norwegian society have been pretty much locked down for a few weeks. Our authorities have been encouraging hand cleaning and social distancing, as in most countries these days; and we are currently not allowed to travel abroad. Fortunately, though, we do have a lot of nice mountains in our own country, and the authorities have so far not imposed a curfew upon us. They discourage climbs in the higher mountains, as rescue resources may be limited these days, but it’s considered OK to climb the smaller ones.

Those ascending the mountain in the morning hours had left a nice ski track for us afternoon trekkers.
Those ascending the mountain in the morning hours had left a nice ski track for us afternoon trekkers.
Approaching the top of the mountain. The weather was fairly bad when I started out, but became better little by little as I was climbing.
Approaching the top of the mountain. The weather was fairly bad when I started out, but became better little by little as I was climbing.

I chose Smørbottind on this day because the forecasts said there was a moderate risk of avalanches in the mountains of our municipality. When you ascend Mount Smørbottind from the southwest however, the slopes around you are nowhere steeper than about 25˚. Moreover, the southwest side of this mountain is also the windward side, hence the risk of avalanches on this tour should be minimal; you just have to take care not to walk onto the snow shelves around the summit (see photos), as they may break off, and send you into an abyss. I also avoided climbing onto the nearby peak of Kvasstind (see map image), as the final part of the climb up there seemed to be about 30˚, and I didn’t want to do anything too risky.

The peak of Kvasstind is seen to the left. The peak of Smørbottind is located beyond the part of the mountain seen in the right half of the picture. The ski tracks are leading to Smørbottind. I dropped climbing Kvasstind, due to the risk of avalanches, as the climb up there seemed to be steeper than 30 deg; and I wanted to avoid the risk of an avalanche.
The peak of Kvasstind is seen to the left. The peak of Smørbottind is located beyond the part of the mountain seen in the right half of the picture. The ski tracks are leading to Smørbottind. I dropped climbing Kvasstind, due to the risk of avalanches, as the climb up there seemed to be steeper than 30 deg; and I wanted to avoid the risk of an avalanche.

The mountain of Smørbottind offers a panoramic view of some of the more spectacular mountains of our municipality; i.e. Store Venjetind, Romsdalshorn, Breitind, Trollryggen, Store Trolltind, Bispen, Kongen and Dronninga (see photo); among which at least some should be familiar to mountain climbers.

View of the main peak of Mount Smørbottind from a slightly lower secondary peak called the South Peak of Smørbottind. Note the snow shelves in the summit area, which may break off if you step onto them.
View of the main peak of Mount Smørbottind from a slightly lower secondary peak called the South Peak of Smørbottind. Note the snow shelves in the summit area, which may break off if you step onto them.
The summit area of Mount Smørbottind offers a magnificent view of some of the most famous mountains in the municipality of Møre & Romsdal. Again notice the dangerous snow shelves on the east side of the south peak of Mount Smørbottind.
The summit area of Mount Smørbottind offers a magnificent view of some of the most famous mountains in the municipality of Møre & Romsdal. Again notice the dangerous snow shelves on the east side of the south peak of Mount Smørbottind.

When you’ve made it to the summit of the mountain, the reward for the struggle is the downhill skiing back down. Telemark skiing is a quite cool thing. On this particular day the snow was all dry and powder-like, making the ski ride in itself well worth the climb.

Panorama from the summit of Mount Smørbottind.
Panorama from the summit of Mount Smørbottind.

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