Lee Harrison Climbing

Our first attempt to climb Den republikanske terroristen didn't get further than the top of the second pitch. There was far too much wind together with strong gusts, which only increased with height. The wind was coming from a WSW Direction from which there was little shelter on our south face. Despite the twenty degree temperature, and adders basking on the slopes beneath Skogshorn, I still needed three layers in order to keep warm. I led the first pitch, which weaved around initially before popping out on easy angled broken slabs. Normally I would scamper easily up this sort of slabby terrain, primarily using my feet with my hands merely an accessory, however the high winds caused me to over-grip and climb in a slower, static fashion. Often I needed to wait for the winds to drop before making the simplest of moves. I was fully expecting Anna to suggest that we bail at the top of the first pitch and I was more resigned to agree. Smaller climbers definitely have a bigger say...

I was more apprehensive about Den Hvite Stripa than any route for a long time. The crux pitch I understood to be very bold, with just a couple of bolts on the crux pitch and no possibility for supplementary gear. A bold n6 grade would probably equate to something like UK E2 5b, and so right on my limit. The lack of an adjective grade with the Nordic grading system meant this was just an educated guess though. Den hvite stripa (the white stripe) How big would the run-outs be? Big enough to pass my belayer on the way down? Where did the actual crux moves lie in relation to the bolts? One thing I did know was that my slab climbing abilities had only slightly improved in recent years and so felt close to a plateau. Now or never. I lost the paper, scissors, stone contest. 'Lost' in so far as my partner Sten would lead the first pitch leaving the crux second pitch to me. The first pitch Just mounting the short wall at the start of the second pitch in order to g...

My girlfriend Anna had undergone a SLAP tear repair in March. For those unfamiliar, this entails the ring of cartilage lining the shoulder socket being reattached. In Anna's case two thirds of this cartilage had become detached through a multitude of injuries over the years. Amazingly she had climbed her hardest ice pitch immediately prior to the operation. Six months later her gradual recovery had reached a stage where she was ready to begin climbing again. We climbed Via Dolorosa, the easy slab climb at Vardåsen, a matter of hours after being given the green light to climb by her physio. It passed without drama and so Via Lara at Hægefjell seemed the suitable progression the coming weeekend. Another easy slab climb of no greater difficulty, only seven pitches instead of three. Saturday's forcast was expected to be dry until around 7pm, meaning rain would affect only the BBQ rather than the climbing. Hægefjell's campsite lacked mobile signal though, so Friday evening...

After the underwhelming climbing experience on Siluetten two days prior I was keen to try a route that would stay in my memory a little longer.  Kruttårnet-Lettvinten looked a good option. It was the longest route on Skogshorn, totalling 470m and 14 pitches, and followed a prominent ridge via a fore-summit at mid-height. It looked well-suited for a solo attempt because of it's amiable grade and stretches of easier ground that could be covered quickly by myself. The harder pitches lay in the upper half, where the Skogshorn rock quality was generally better, and therefore likely suitable for back-roping if necessary. The route could also be escaped from the top of Kruttårnet via a scree gully should I not fancy the harder pitches, and consequently not overly committing. The South Face of Skogshorn As with Overaskelsen and  Siluetten some of the rock was loose on the initial pitches. Particularly the first pitch. I made best efforts to climb primarily with my feet whi...

The first couple of pitches of Siluetten were not feeling optimally in control. Not what I was hoping for given this was a solo effort. The rock wasn't strictly 'loose', it was more 'suspect', which was actually worse because of the greater element of doubt playing on my mind. Many holds needed careful checking to ensure they would not dislodge, which slowed the climbing to a crawl at one point. To add to this, some powerful westerly gusts were blowing across the face and making my slow, fitful progress all the more sketchy. One prolonged gust in particular made me consider whether to continue but as it happened this proved to be the last one of note. Skogshorn from the road The route starts up the left side of the triangle in the lower right of the photo and then continued up the rib on the skyline  After the first couple of pitches the climbing became much easier. Both in terms of technical difficulty and with regards the rock stability. All of which ...

Matias and I were making things somewhat hard for ourselves. Firstly due to sleep deprivation, having stayed up too late at the Ballesteinfestival in Bø i Telemark the previous evening. Albeit sober, as a consequence of missing the Saturday 6pm supermarket curfew for alcohol sales. Secondly the final stretch of road to Hægefjell proved to be shut 5km before the camping area, making the approach a little more sporting. At least an opportunity to wake-up, magnified by a gusty north-easterly wind that was meeting with us. Hopefully we would be in its lee once on the route. Road closure The approach Hægefjell in the distance It had rained lightly throughout the night, however the Sunday forecast looked excellent and with a casual starting time we hoped to find some dry rock somewhere. Gone with the Weed  had been our first choice but the broad streaks of seepage descending the entirety of the route firmly placed it in the 'wet' category. Heavy seepage also affecte...

The guidebook described the Eastern part of Skurvefjell as 'løs' (loose) with 'dårlig sikkerhet' (poor protection). Still, this didn't seem to perturb us. Particularly given that our chosen route merited four stars in the local guidebook. It was presumably loose and a little bit dangerous in a 'fun' sort of way, like Wrecker's Slab for example... At nearly 300m height, the cliff certainly looked impressive and too good to resist. The very pleasant walk-in The first pitch gave an indication of what might follow. Compact rock with little in the way of natural protection. My first runner was maybe 12m above the ground. Where cracks existed they were nearly always associated with unstable rock. Already the climbing was feeling serious but after a couple more runners in succession I begun to feel happier. The first pitch weaved up and right and then back left so naturally I reduced the left rope runners as I approached the switchback. The first real al...