Troll Wall
Encyclopedia
The Troll Wall is part of the mountain massif
Trolltindene (Troll Peaks) in the Romsdalen
valley, near Åndalsnes
and Molde
, on the Norwegian
west coast. Trollveggen is part of the Reinheimen National Park
in the municipality of Rauma
in Møre og Romsdal
county. The Troll Wall is the tallest vertical rock face in Europe, about 1100 metres (3,608.9 ft) from its base to the summit of its highest point. At its steepest, the summit ridge overhangs the base of the wall by nearly 50 metres (164 ft). The Rauma River
and the European Route E136
runs just to the east of the wall.
The rock is gneiss
, formed into a broken rock wall of huge corners, concave roofs, and crack systems, topped with a series of spires and pinnacles on the summit rim. The rock is generally loose, and rockfall
is the norm on this north-facing big wall. There was a series of large rockfalls on the wall in September 1998, radically changing the character of several climbing
routes.
The Troll Wall has been a prestigious goal for climbers and BASE jumpers
alike. Carl Boenish
, the "father" of BASE jumping, was killed on the Troll Wall in 1984 shortly after setting the world record for the highest BASE jump in history. BASE jumping from Troll Wall has been illegal since 1986.
The Troll Wall was first climbed in 1965 by a Norwegian team. The Norwegian team, consisting of Ole Daniel Enersen
, Leif Norman Patterson, Odd Eliassen, and Jon Teigland, finished one day ahead of the British climbers Tony Howard, John Amatt and Bill Tweedale, who established the most popular climbing route
on the wall, the Rimmon Route. As of 2003, this route was reported unclimbable because a rockfall in September 1998 destroyed five of its pitches.
The wall saw its first winter ascent in March 1974, when a Polish team spent 13 days repeating the 1967 French Route. In 1979, the wall was free climbed
for the first time by local climber Hans Christian Doseth
and Ragnhild Amundsen.
Today, there are many routes on the wall, ranging in length and difficulty. The classic Rimmon and Swedish routes were normally free climbed in a day or two until being heavily damaged by the 1998 rock falls. The longer and more engaging aid routes
, such as the 1972 test piece Arch Wall (climbed by Ed and Hugh Drummond in 20 days), or the 1986 Death to All/Pretty Blond Vikings, which cuts through the steepest part of the wall, require advanced knowledge of big wall climbing and several days on the wall.
Due to the serious character of the wall, in addition to a cold and damp climate, new routes on Troll Wall are rare. The most recent contribution is the Krasnojarsk Route, established by a Russian team during 19 days in February 2002.
In July 2010, Arch Wall, previously a serious aid route of difficulty up to A4+
, saw its first all-free ascent by local climber Sindre Sæther and his father, Ole Johan. Arch Wall is about 1200 metres (3,937 ft) of climbing over 37 pitches, and it took the two a total of 36 hours of climbing to reach the summit.
Currently (Sept 2011) British climber Andy Kirkpatrick is on the wall involved in a solo attempt of the Harryland route.
The Troll Wall has also gained notoriety as a favourite haunt of BASE jumpers
. It was one of the sites where BASE jumping was pioneered in the 1980s. Norwegian authorities made BASE jumping from the Troll Wall illegal on July 25, 1986. Parachute
equipment that wasn't adapted for jumping from cliffs, and the fact that the jumpers had to find exit points by trial and error, meant many fatalities in a short period of time. Jumpers using wingsuits, however, can jump from Trollveggen's highest point and still make a safe landing.
It is often impossible to use helicopters to get deceased or injured jumpers down from the wall, meaning rescuers have to climb the wall at great risk. Despite the fact that BASE jumpers face heavy fines and loss of parachute equipment if caught, and that the wall still claims lives, the Troll Wall remains popular with local jumpers and foreigners. Eight BASE jumpers have lost their lives in Trollveggen. Carl Boenish was the first, and the last fatality was in 2008.
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
Trolltindene (Troll Peaks) in the Romsdalen
Romsdalen
Romsdalen is a valley running through the municipalities of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal County and Lesja in Oppland county Norway.-Location:The river Rauma follows the Romsdalen valley from lake Lesjaskogsvatnet to the town of Åndalsnes, where it empties into the Romsdalsfjord. The Rauma Line and...
valley, near Åndalsnes
Åndalsnes
is a town in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma. The town has a population of 2,207...
and Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...
, on the Norwegian
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...
west coast. Trollveggen is part of the Reinheimen National Park
Reinheimen National Park
Reinheimen National Park was established in 2006. The park consists of a continuous protected mountain area. It is located in Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties in Norway. The park includes parts of the municipalities of Lesja, Skjåk, Vågå, Lom, Norddal, and Rauma...
in the municipality of Rauma
Rauma, Norway
Rauma is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre is the village of Åndalsnes. Other villages include Vågstranda, Voll, Innfjorden, Veblungsnes, Verma, Isfjorden, Eidsbygda, Rødven, Åfarnes, and Mittet...
in Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
county. The Troll Wall is the tallest vertical rock face in Europe, about 1100 metres (3,608.9 ft) from its base to the summit of its highest point. At its steepest, the summit ridge overhangs the base of the wall by nearly 50 metres (164 ft). The Rauma River
Rauma River
Rauma is a river in the Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties in Norway. It runs for from the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in the municipality of Lesja to the town of Åndalsnes in the municipality of Rauma. The river was once famous for its salmon-fishing, but since an infection with Gyrodactylus...
and the European Route E136
European route E136
European route E 136 is a European highway which goes from Ålesund up through the Romsdal valley and crossing into the upper Gudbrandsdal valley to end at Dombås...
runs just to the east of the wall.
The rock is gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
, formed into a broken rock wall of huge corners, concave roofs, and crack systems, topped with a series of spires and pinnacles on the summit rim. The rock is generally loose, and rockfall
Rockfall
Rockfall or rock-fall refers to quantities of rock falling freely from a cliff face. A rockfall is a fragment of rock detached by sliding, toppling, or falling, that falls along a vertical or sub-vertical cliff, proceeds down slope by bouncing and flying along ballistic trajectories or by rolling...
is the norm on this north-facing big wall. There was a series of large rockfalls on the wall in September 1998, radically changing the character of several 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...
routes.
The Troll Wall has been a prestigious goal for climbers and 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...
alike. Carl Boenish
Carl Boenish
Carl Boenish considered the father of modern BASE jumping, was a freefall cinematographer, who in 1978 filmed the first jumps from El Capitan using ram-air parachutes. These jumps were repeated, not as a publicity exercise or as a movie stunt, but as a true, recurring recreational activity. This...
, the "father" of BASE jumping, was killed on the Troll Wall in 1984 shortly after setting the world record for the highest BASE jump in history. BASE jumping from Troll Wall has been illegal since 1986.
Climbing history
Ole Daniel Enersen
Ole Daniel Enersen is a Norwegian climber, photographer, journalist, writer, and medical historian.In 1965 he made the first ascent of the Trollveggen mountain in Romsdalen, Norway, along with Leif Normann Petterson, Odd Eliassen and Jon Teigland.In 2000 he published a novel in the fantasy genre,...
, Leif Norman Patterson, Odd Eliassen, and Jon Teigland, finished one day ahead of the British climbers Tony Howard, John Amatt and Bill Tweedale, who established the most popular climbing route
Climbing route
A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and, once committed to that ascent, can be difficult to stop or return. Choice of route can be critically important...
on the wall, the Rimmon Route. As of 2003, this route was reported unclimbable because a rockfall in September 1998 destroyed five of its pitches.
The wall saw its first winter ascent in March 1974, when a Polish team spent 13 days repeating the 1967 French Route. In 1979, the wall was free climbed
Free climbing
Free climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend, employing ropes and forms of climbing protection to prevent falls only....
for the first time by local climber Hans Christian Doseth
Hans Christian Doseth
Hans Christian Doseth was a Norwegian climber. Doseth followed the standards of modern big wall climbing through many first ascents in Europe and the Himalayas. Among his achievements were several first ascents of routes on Trollveggen , Romsdal's north facing big wall, both in winter and summer...
and Ragnhild Amundsen.
Today, there are many routes on the wall, ranging in length and difficulty. The classic Rimmon and Swedish routes were normally free climbed in a day or two until being heavily damaged by the 1998 rock falls. The longer and more engaging aid routes
Aid climbing
Aid climbing is a style of climbing in which standing on or pulling oneself up via devices attached to fixed or placed protection is used to make upward progress....
, such as the 1972 test piece Arch Wall (climbed by Ed and Hugh Drummond in 20 days), or the 1986 Death to All/Pretty Blond Vikings, which cuts through the steepest part of the wall, require advanced knowledge of big wall climbing and several days on the wall.
Due to the serious character of the wall, in addition to a cold and damp climate, new routes on Troll Wall are rare. The most recent contribution is the Krasnojarsk Route, established by a Russian team during 19 days in February 2002.
Recent ascents
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
, saw its first all-free ascent by local climber Sindre Sæther and his father, Ole Johan. Arch Wall is about 1200 metres (3,937 ft) of climbing over 37 pitches, and it took the two a total of 36 hours of climbing to reach the summit.
Currently (Sept 2011) British climber Andy Kirkpatrick is on the wall involved in a solo attempt of the Harryland route.
BASE Jumping
In 1980 a new sport appeared when the Finnish Jorma Öster made the first jump with parachute off the Troll Wall.The Troll Wall has also gained notoriety as a favourite haunt 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...
. It was one of the sites where BASE jumping was pioneered in the 1980s. Norwegian authorities made BASE jumping from the Troll Wall illegal on July 25, 1986. Parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
equipment that wasn't adapted for jumping from cliffs, and the fact that the jumpers had to find exit points by trial and error, meant many fatalities in a short period of time. Jumpers using wingsuits, however, can jump from Trollveggen's highest point and still make a safe landing.
It is often impossible to use helicopters to get deceased or injured jumpers down from the wall, meaning rescuers have to climb the wall at great risk. Despite the fact that BASE jumpers face heavy fines and loss of parachute equipment if caught, and that the wall still claims lives, the Troll Wall remains popular with local jumpers and foreigners. Eight BASE jumpers have lost their lives in Trollveggen. Carl Boenish was the first, and the last fatality was in 2008.
External links
- Trollveggen BASE picture gallery
- Trollveggen official homepage
- Some information on the routes on Troll Wall
- John Amatt on the first ascent of the Rimmon Route
- Updates, topos, and more on the climbing in Romsdal
- Base fatalities list
- UKClimbing.com on the free ascent of Arch Wall
- "The First Ascent of the Troll Wall" by Tony Howard