Info About Gangnesaksla
Gangnesaksla is a 1,317 meter peak located just outside of Narvik in Northern Norway. Located in the Southwest corner of the Skjomen fjord its Southern slope is considered the longest couloir in all of Norway. This area was highly contested in World War 2 as the Germans used it as an area to keep there ships protected during the battles of Narvik. The upper slopes of the mountain are quite flat but the areas that go down to the sea drop abruptly.
The Search for Better Weather in the Narvik Area
The best plan is to have no plan. Well at least that is what we said when our plan of ski traversing the Lofoten Islands fell apart with horrible weather. After finishing our Kayaking mission we started a comprehensive research project of finding the spot with the best weather and decided to head out to the Narvik area. Smashing 5 peoples ski gear into a rental car we were off in hopes of finding sunshine.
Once in Narvik we bought a ski touring guide book of the area that showed a picture of Gangnesaksla. With a 4,000 foot couloir all the way to the sea we hoped back into the car and started driving down the the road that bordered the Skjomen fjord. This area was a huge contrast to the sharp peaks of the Lofoten Islands with the mountains being huge massifs with couloir after couloir.
Setting our Eyes on Gangnesaksla
That afternoon we drove into the base of Gangnesaksla to check it out and liked what we saw. By now it was too late in the day to make it up before the sunset so we decided to camp a little ways away and ski it the next day.
Finding a nice spot with smooth rocks where the fjord split we set up camp for the night. Though we had heard of the Lofoten Islands before the whole Narvik area was a mystery to me.
After eating our dreaded dehydrated meals it was time to get some sleep. By now the clouds had moved in again turning the upper slopes into a flat light nightmare but the hope was that the next day conditions would improve.
Day 2: Attempt to ride the Couloir on Gangnesaksla
We woke up to blue skies as the sun started lighting up the slopes of Gangnesaksla in the distance. The couloir we hoped to ski was just out of view but conditions were looking promising as we got our gear together for the day.
Driving to the base of Gangnesaksla we could see that clouds were moving in but the upper slopes were still in the sun. It was a bit concerning as we had learned the hard way that weather conditions change so fast in the area but we were optimistic.
Climbing up into the upper bowl we could see that a thick layer of clouds was moving in. Picking up our speed we made a long traverse over towards the entrance of the couloir as even in flat light we would be able to see the rock walls that lined the couloir.
Battle Weather Disrupts Our Plans Again
Like a switch going off the clouds socked into the area once we were near the top of Gangnesaksla. From what we could see there was a drop off a few meters away from where we were but we couldn’t tell if it was the line or a cliff. We sat around on top of the mountain for two hours digging a shelter and waiting for conditions to improve but they didn’t.
Being frustrated with the weather we admired defeat and followed our skin tracks back down to the car. We had missed our small weather window in the area and another front was moving in. It was a bit of a disappointment as the line looked awesome but not worth blindly rolling into a slope that we had never seen before.
