fist look at Storen

Its 11pm on a Saturday night in Sogndal. Students loudly stagger past the van to start their Saturday night in town. I'm waiting outside Calum's place whist he hurriedly tries to take pictures of the route description and interprets the forecast in a characteristically optimistic way. Before I could contemplate joining the merry crowd any longer, Calum throws his kit in the back and to begin the 1 and a half drive to Turtagro. A few hours of sleeping in the visitor car park pass and we are lugging our heavy climbing packs into the Jottenhimen mountains at around 6am hoping very much that the cloud will lift for us during the morning.

We were approaching Store Skagastølstind, 2405m, otherwise known as "Storen" is the jewel in the crown of Scandinavian mountains (Scandinavian mountains over 2000 metes) . It is described as a magnificent tower of hard gabbro which is now a climbers Mecca. We had seen its iconic tower the previous week and were hoping to have a go at reaching the summit before the summer season ends.



looking back from the Approach.



Its a long approach to the base of the climb, about 2 and a half hours at a fast pace over large boulders and the glacier.


At the top of the glacier we were clearly in the clouds now and the wind was remincent of winter munro bagging. Not quite able to make out each others expressions in the hoods we had a memorable conversation were we each scout around the obvious conclusion that today is clearly not the day for an ascent attempt.


we sheltered behind a larger boulder to each something before going for a explore of the apouch scramble to start of the start of the proper climb. The previous weeks rain at had clearly fallen as wet snow at this altitude and the buttress resembled Scottish November conditions.





The start of the climbing we think, not at all appealing today....

We contemplated how amazing it is to see the seasons change so quickly, after all its still august and by this point i was wearing every layer I had whilst on the move. We know we would be back at some point.