Three New Routes

Norway, Senja
Author: Aaron Mulkey. Climb Year: 2015. Publication Year: 2016.


In late February, Daniel Burson, Chris Guyer, Shawn Gregory, and I visited Senja for a week of mixed climbing
. I had been there before, in 2013, with Steve Berwanger and Tanner Callender, and established five new climbs on the island, including two mixed routes above Ersfjord with 365m of climbing each and two shorter routes in Ballesvika, above the tunnel to Gryllefjord. But since Senja was relatively unknown to climbers at the time, we tried to keep things hush. On this trip the crew established three lines, ranging from four to six pitches.

Tidal Roulette (200m) rises straight out of the ocean on the south-facing cliffs above Ersfjord and involved a 2.5-mile rock-hopping approach along the shore. As we climbed the tide came in, forcing us to post-hole in snow for hours to get back to the car.

Deliberation Corner (270m) was on Luttinden’s high east-facing cliffs above Ersfjord. This route, the most difficult climbed on the trip, involved very thin dry-tooling up seams to a small ledge. Above, the second pitch was a thin ice smear up a corner. Halfway up you had to step out of the corner system on a thin smear where everything beneath your feet was space—perhaps the climb’s most memorable moment.

We spotted Smoke Show (150m), the last route on the trip, on Hatten, the next mountain east of Luttinden. After approaching on skis, we climbed a thin smear that rises directly up the peak. I recall an incredible long pitch of thin alpine-like climbing, leading into a chimney system with moderate alpine ice and mixed terrain above.

I declined to rate these mixed rock and ice adventures because the conditions change so often here, and I wouldn’t want to deter anyone from doing the routes because of a grade. 

Aaron Mulkey, USA


Norway Trailer from Aaron Mulkey on Vimeo.



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