Snohetta

Overview

Snohetta is the highest summit in the Dovrefjell area, the second highest range after Jotunheimen in Norway. Snohetta reaches 2286 m, about 200 meters less than the Glittertind and Galdhopiggen in Jotunheimen. Snohetta range includes somes small glaciers.


Dovrefjell is one the few places besides northern Canada and Greenland where it's possible to observe muskoxen. Muskoxen are one of the few mammals that are able to survive in a polar climate without hibernating. They have a special kind of hair which allows then to live in areas where the temperature often goes below -40°C. They dig the snow where it's not too deep and hard to find grass and lichens. Muskoxen have been intensively hunted in the 19th century, which has lead to their extinction in Alaska, Norway or Russia. Since then, they have been reintroduced in Norway, Quebec, Russia or Sweden, and the most important of these populations apart northern Canada and Greenland is located in Dovrefjell.

Getting There

Take the Oslo Trondheim train (a few trains a day) and stop at Kongsvoll station at about 900 m (ask for the stop to the train's crew before). From Oslo about 5 hours, from Trondheim 2 hours by train. It's also possible to drive there using the E6 between Oslo and Trondheim, which basically goes along the railroad. In spring 2007 the round-trip ticket for the train costs about 1000 norwegian Kr (1 euro=8,1 Kr)

Schedule below :
http://nsb.no/internet/diverse/rutetider/pdf/jan07/021_oslo_trondheim_dovre_07.pdf
http://www.nsb.no/internet/diverse/rutetider/pdf/jan07/021_oslo_trondheim_dovre_07.pdf
http://www.nsb.no/internet/diverse/rutetider/pdf/jan07/022_andalsnes_dombas_07.pdf

When to go there

Snohetta is located on the 62nd parallel, not very far from the polar arctic circle. So the weather can be very harsh there, from fall to spring, with strong winds and low temperatures. Also very short days from November to Febreuay, with only a few hours of daylight.

On the opposite very long days from May to August, but also plenty of mosquitoes and mud.

The best season could then be from late March to early May, when the temperatures beging to go up and there is still enough snow to have country-skiing.

Facilities

There are a lot of good refuges (usually unstaffed) in the Dovrefjell area close to the Snohetta summit :
- Reinheim at 1350 m (keys to be asked before use),at the bottom of the northeast face,
- Amotdalshytta at 1300 m (keys to be asked before use),at the bottom of the northwest face,
- Gamle Reinheim at 1650 m, to be used only as an emergency shelter, at the bottom of the east face.


These refuges provide a excellent level of comfort, with available gas stoves, cuisine equipment, wood, private rooms of 4, living room, drying room, food... The price was about 260 norwegian Kr (1 euro=8,1 Kr)
in March 2007, per person per night (food is extra).

It's possible to reach Snohetta summit in half a day from every of these refuges.

External Links

For informations about muskoxen :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_ox
http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=95


For informations about Snohetta :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sn%C3%B8hetta_%28mountain%29


For weather forecasts (in Oppdal close to Snohetta) :

http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Oppdal.shtml

How to go the top from Kongsvoll and Reinheim

From the railroad station take the path to the west, first going up through the forest. Shortly after the end of the forest, the trail flattens and you can see the entire length (more than 15km) of the valley leading to the Reinheim refuge. Pursue to the west by letting the stream on your left. After the Reinheim refuge, go south through a steeper slope to a pass at 1574 m, turn right to take to the west the long and moderatly steep slope going up to the top of Snohetta, marked by a radio link station.


Same way back to Reinheim and Kongsvoll.

Red tape

Dovrefjell area now belongs to a national park extended in 2002.
Some regulations apply.

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Images

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