Nallangaisi, Imagaisi, Balgesvarri (16.04.2021)

Written by Sosnovsky (Juan Losada)

Characteristic Randonnée/Telemark
Duration 40h 00min
Distance 55.0km
Vertical meters 5,200m
GPS
Ascents Bálggesvárri (1,627m) 16.04.2021
Vestre Bálggesvárri (1,565m) 16.04.2021
Imagáisi (1,505m) 16.04.2021
Nállangáisi (1,595m) 16.04.2021

After a terrible weather Easter, we finally got some sun in the North and decided to drive to Lyngen for the weekend. This was my first trip to Lyngen since I moved to Tromsø. The main goal was to do Nallangaisi, after that we could do some of the other summits around Goverdalen if the conditions allowed. I joined Mauricio, who I had met the week before, and two new skiers for me: Erik from Sweden and Bjørn from Norway. All of them were in quite good shape, so I had to make sure I could keep the pace.

We drove from Tromsø kl 18.30 on Friday under the rain. Hopefully, that would be fixed by the next day. We started an 8 km approach in Goverdalen with the pulkas with camping equipment. We made a camp base by the lake right under Rundvatnet (seems to not have a name on the map).

Carrying the equipment is hard work
Carrying the equipment is hard work
The tents were finished quite late.
The tents were finished quite late.

We woke up early the next day and started the ascent to Nallangaisi. The approach was already done the day before, so it quickly became steep. We did a couple of snow profiles that showed good snow stability, so we continued up. We changed to crampons at about 1150m, where the couloir gets narrower and steeper.

Start the ascent for Nallangaisi (in the photo). The route we chose, the west face couloir, is not visible from here, we had to first ascend towards the valley on the right.
Start the ascent for Nallangaisi (in the photo). The route we chose, the west face couloir, is not visible from here, we had to first ascend towards the valley on the right.
Me on the way up the couloir. We managed to get surprisingly high on skis before changing to boot mode.
Me on the way up the couloir. We managed to get surprisingly high on skis before changing to boot mode.
Walking up the steep (about 45° according to the guide), narrow section.
Walking up the steep (about 45° according to the guide), narrow section.
The last part of the couloir before the climb up the ridge.
The last part of the couloir before the climb up the ridge.

At about 1420 we climbed on top of the ridge in a short (<15m) pitch. The snow was very loose, and the rock beneath seemed to have no holds at all! Somehow, Erik managed to get on top of this short hard section and pull the rest of us up (thanks Erik). After that section, only an exposed and somewhat steep traverse was left and some ridge walking. We did this part on a running belay, but it was good enough to do it without a rope. We made the summit on an unbelievable clear sky with awesome views of the surrounding summits. We downclimbed the ridge, rappeled the steep section, and enjoyed a beautiful down ski with nice snow down the couloir.

Belaying towards the ridge.
Belaying towards the ridge.
Me, being pulled up.
Me, being pulled up.
Some easy traversing after the climb pitch.
Some easy traversing after the climb pitch.
Nallangaisi
Nallangaisi
Goverdalen from Nallangaisi
Goverdalen from Nallangaisi
Steindalsbreen, Østre Imagaisi and Steindalstinden from Nallangaisi
Steindalsbreen, Østre Imagaisi and Steindalstinden from Nallangaisi
Balgesvarri from Nallangaisi
Balgesvarri from Nallangaisi
Mauricio down the west couloir of Nallangaisi.
Mauricio down the west couloir of Nallangaisi.
Break before starting the second summit of the day
Break before starting the second summit of the day

We took a break and decided to continue with Imagaisi from Steindalsbreen. We crossed the glacier and ascended Imagaisi from the Eastside. We descended a couloir towards Ellendalen and ascended to the coll between Ellendalen and Goverdalen before the last descend to our campsite. Out tents were still in place, and we enjoyed some well deserved cold spaghetti with tuna, pesto and snow before getting to sleep early.

Steindalsbreen
Steindalsbreen
Imagaisi
Imagaisi
The couloir we skied down from Imagaisi to Ellendalen
The couloir we skied down from Imagaisi to Ellendalen
The couloir we skied down from Imagaisi to Ellendalen
The couloir we skied down from Imagaisi to Ellendalen
Skiing down towards Ellendalen
Skiing down towards Ellendalen
Great view of the route we followed up Nallangaisi from the coll between Ellendalen and Goverdalen.
Great view of the route we followed up Nallangaisi from the coll between Ellendalen and Goverdalen.
Ellendalen
Ellendalen
Bjørn and the Sfinxen
Bjørn and the Sfinxen
Lakselvtindane massif from somewhere near Sfinxen
Lakselvtindane massif from somewhere near Sfinxen

The next day we skied up Blagesvarri twice and decended two different couloirs. The first from Vestre Balgesvarri after walk traversing the ridge between Balgesvarri and Vestre Balgesvarri, and the second was the bowl in the ridgeline. After the two descents, we had enough skiing for the day and descended back to the road after an awesome weekend in Lyngen.

Descending with the pulkas before ascending Balgesvarri
Descending with the pulkas before ascending Balgesvarri
Descending with the pulkas before ascending Balgesvarri
Descending with the pulkas before ascending Balgesvarri
Up sløkedalen in hard crust.
Up sløkedalen in hard crust.
Jerv (?) tracks.
Jerv (?) tracks.
Mauricio in Balgesvarri, trying not to freeze
Mauricio in Balgesvarri, trying not to freeze
Some ridge walking towards Vestre Balgesvarri
Some ridge walking towards Vestre Balgesvarri
Erik, making sure the couloir is safe to ski.
Erik, making sure the couloir is safe to ski.
First couloir we skied from Vestre Balgesvarri.
First couloir we skied from Vestre Balgesvarri.
Me, in the way down a more or less steep section covered in blomkål.
Me, in the way down a more or less steep section covered in blomkål.
Bjørn down the bowl
Bjørn down the bowl

User comments

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    Written by Øyvindbr 23.04.2021 14:50

    Beautiful Lyngen! I still hope to visit both Imagaisi, Nallangaisi and Balgesvarri, hopefully sooner than later...

    • -
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      Re:

      Written by Sosnovsky 25.04.2021 08:27

      Indeed, it is an amazing place. Hope you can visit them soon!

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