Lofoten is the archipelago,
west of Narvik and 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. They are a collection
of five large and five smaller islands.
Heavily glaciated and granitic, these islands offer a wealth of rock climbing
as well as both summer and winter mountaineering. Climbing here is generally
considered to have begun in 1889 with the ascent of "Vågakallen" (942m)
by two local fishermen. The long climbing tradition in Lofoten has uncovered
numerous perfect granite crags. Worth noting is the local desire to keep
the climbing adventurous. There are no sport climbs here and although bolts
do occur from time to time on the crags, their use has been very minimal
and the preference has bin to preserve somewhat run out leads.
The most known goal for climbers in Lofoten is undoubtly Svolvørgeita
(The Svolvør-goat), a pinnacle on the mountainside above Svolvør.
The summit of the pinnacle has two "horns", 2 meters apart with a deep crack
between them. The jump between the horns is known as a great test of your
climbing courage!
