Gullbotn to Espeland via Gullfjelltoppen (24.04.2021)
Written by hbar (Harald Barsnes)
Start point | Gullbotn (245m) |
---|---|
Endpoint | Espeland (75m) |
Characteristic | Backcountry skiing |
Duration | 6h 10min |
Distance | 20.4km |
Vertical meters | 1,146m |
GPS |
Ascents | Austefjellet (808m) | 24.04.2021 |
---|---|---|
Gullfjellet (914m) | 24.04.2021 | |
Gullfjelltoppen (987m) | 24.04.2021 | |
Hausdalsgullbotntoppen (755m) | 24.04.2021 | |
Visits of other PBEs | Espeland fangeleir (130m) | 24.04.2021 |
Gullbotn p-plass (245m) | 24.04.2021 | |
Osavatnet p-plass (kr) (310m) | 24.04.2021 | |
Redningshytten, Gullfjellet (600m) | 24.04.2021 |
Gullbotn to Espeland via Gullfjelltoppen
I was dropped off at the parking lot at Gullbotn, from where I carried the skis up to the actual Gullbotn where I could finally put them on. The conditions for skiing were not the best though, with at times more ice than snow, and along the ridge southeast of the summit of Gullfjelltoppen there were also short stretches without any snow at all.
My initial plan had been to descend north via Gullfjellhalsen, Vossavardane and Hotten, but given the limited amount of snow covering the mentioned peaks, combined with a strong cold northerly wind, I instead turned south and followed the normal descent route to Redningshytten, only making a short detour to Hausdalsgullbotntoppen on the way.
Note that Korketrekkeren already had several areas without any snow at all. I could however still keep the skis on until getting to Redningshytten. Here I decided to take a detour via Austefjellet, mainly as I was told by a fellow skier that if choosing that route it should be possible to ski almost all the way down to the parking lot at Osavatnet.
The summit of Austefjellet was easily reached and the final descent could begin. The conditions were far from perfect though, more ice than snow, and within not too long, and much earlier than I had hoped for, I reached the end of the snow, and the skies had to be carried. In my view there was still a fair distance to the parking lot. Hence, I cannot really agree with the tip I was given. Upon finally reaching Osavatnet, the trip was concluded by walking along the roads down to Espeland for the bus(es) back home.
In summary, I think it's fair to say that the skiing season at Gullfjellet is quickly coming to an end. And while the skiing conditions included more ice than snow, and the sunny weather forecast did not really kick in, it was still an enjoyable trip. Would probably have been much nicer only a couple of weeks earlier though.
Start date | 24.04.2021 09:35 (UTC+01:00 DST) |
End date | 24.04.2021 15:46 (UTC+01:00 DST) |
Total Time | 6h 10min |
Moving Time | 5h 05min |
Stopped Time | 1h 05min |
Overall Average | 3.3km/h |
Moving Average | 4.0km/h |
Distance | 20.4km |
Vertical meters | 1,145m |
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