Kjerag
Encyclopedia
Kjerag or Kiragg is a Norwegian
mountain, located in Lysefjorden, in Forsand
municipality, Ryfylke
, Rogaland
. Its highest point is 1110 m above sea level, but its northern drop to Lysefjorden attracts most visitors. The drop is 984 m (3,228 ft) and is just by the famous Kjeragbolten, a 5 m³ big stone which is plugged between two rocks.
Kjerag is a popular hiking
destination. Some go there because Preikestolen
has become too crowded, some to jump onto Kjeragbolten and quite a lot of BASE jumpers
from all over the world go there to dive off the high cliff
s. Kjerag is also a popular climbing
destination, with many difficult routes going up its steep faces.
The easiest ascent starts from the visitors center Øygardsstølen, with a 2.5-3 hour rather strenuous walk each way. From Stavanger
, it is roughly a 2 hour drive (closed in winter season). Or take the touristferry from Lauvvik to Lysebotn in summer. The Lyseroad up from Lysebotn is spectacular (closed in winter).
The best season for walking is late June to September depending on snow conditions.
wedged in a mountain crevasse
by the edge of the Kjerag mountain (59°2′0.83"N 6°35′32.79"E). It is possible to walk onto the rock without any equipment, but there is a direct 241 m drop below and then another tumble of 735 m down to Lysefjorden, so to walk onto it requires good nerves and steady feet. The name means "Kjerag Boulder" or "Kjerag Bolt".
destination. In the period 1994 to 2008 jumps were performed.
In this period there were ten fatal accidents. A list of jumpers who perished at Kjerag is provided below:
In the Norwegian documentary film Loop, Kristen Reagan climbs up the 1000 meter drop before BASE jumping off the same cliff.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
mountain, located in Lysefjorden, in Forsand
Forsand
Forsand is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Forsand was separated from Høle on 1 January 1871. In 1999, evidence of a population here dating back to around 7500 BC was located....
municipality, Ryfylke
Ryfylke
Ryfylke is a traditional district in Norway, located northeast of Stavanger and east of Haugesund. In the east it borders Setesdal and Sirdal.Ryfylke comprises the contemporary municipalities of Sauda, Suldal, Finnøy, Hjelmeland, Forsand, Strand, Kvitsøy and Rennesøy...
, Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
. Its highest point is 1110 m above sea level, but its northern drop to Lysefjorden attracts most visitors. The drop is 984 m (3,228 ft) and is just by the famous Kjeragbolten, a 5 m³ big stone which is plugged between two rocks.
Kjerag is a popular hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
destination. Some go there because Preikestolen
Preikestolen
Preikestolen or Prekestolen, also known by the English translations of Preacher's Pulpit or Pulpit Rock, and by the old local name Hyvlatonnå , is a massive cliff 604 metres above Lysefjorden, opposite the Kjerag plateau, in Forsand, Ryfylke, Norway...
has become too crowded, some to jump onto Kjeragbolten and quite a lot of BASE jumpers
BASE jumping
BASE jumping, also sometimes written as B.A.S.E jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...
from all over the world go there to dive off the high cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
s. Kjerag is also a popular climbing
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
destination, with many difficult routes going up its steep faces.
The easiest ascent starts from the visitors center Øygardsstølen, with a 2.5-3 hour rather strenuous walk each way. From Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
, it is roughly a 2 hour drive (closed in winter season). Or take the touristferry from Lauvvik to Lysebotn in summer. The Lyseroad up from Lysebotn is spectacular (closed in winter).
The best season for walking is late June to September depending on snow conditions.
Kjeragbolten
Kjeragbolten, a 5 m³ boulderBoulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
wedged in a mountain crevasse
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
by the edge of the Kjerag mountain (59°2′0.83"N 6°35′32.79"E). It is possible to walk onto the rock without any equipment, but there is a direct 241 m drop below and then another tumble of 735 m down to Lysefjorden, so to walk onto it requires good nerves and steady feet. The name means "Kjerag Boulder" or "Kjerag Bolt".
BASE jumping
Kjerag has become a popular BASE jumpingBASE jumping
BASE jumping, also sometimes written as B.A.S.E jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...
destination. In the period 1994 to 2008 jumps were performed.
In this period there were ten fatal accidents. A list of jumpers who perished at Kjerag is provided below:
- Sebastian Dectot (24, from FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), August 16, 1996 - Ulla-Stina Östberg (46, from SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
), July 29, 1997 - Thor Alex KappfjellThor Alex KappfjellThor Alex Kappfjell was a Norwegian offshore oil worker and BASE jumper. He is famous for parachuting from the observation deck of the World Trade Center's South tower in 1999. Previously, he had jumped from the 86th floor of the observation deck of the Empire State Building and the 61st floor of...
(32, from NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
), July 6, 1999 - Kirill Goretov (29, from RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), August 15, 1999 - Terry ForrestalTerry ForrestalTerence Julian Forrestal was an English actor, stuntman and BASE jumper.Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. He was the son of Irish emigrants and attended Finchley Catholic Grammar School in England. He served in the British Armed Forces in Northern Ireland, among other places.He was a...
(52, from United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), June 10, 2000 - Valentino Ventori (30, from ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), August 5, 2000 - Lori Barr (37, from USA), July 23, 2002
- Rob Tompkins (30, from USA), September 12, 2002
- Darcy Zoitsas (nickname Peter Pan) (39, from AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), July 19, 2005 - Anton Knestyapin (25, from RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), July 25, 2010
In the Norwegian documentary film Loop, Kristen Reagan climbs up the 1000 meter drop before BASE jumping off the same cliff.
The name
The name is possibly a compound of kje 'kid' and ragg 'goat's hair, shag'. The rough surface of the mountainside have then been compared with the shaggy hair of a kid goat.External links
- 360° Photo at the kjeragbolten
- Kjeragbolten - 360* Panoramic Pictures - Virtual Norge
- Ryfylke
- Trip report with pictures from a walk to Kjerag
- Article in Aftenbladet (in NorwegianNorwegian languageNorwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
) - World BASE fatalities
- Flickr Kjerabolten Images