Årjep Sávllo

Årjep Sávllo (Swedish Södra Saulo) stands just inside Sweden above the Norwegian lake Balvatnet, and the practical access is from Sulitjelma in Norway. Drive the mountain road towards Jakobsbakken and, at Skihytta, take the road south towards the Balvatn dam; the unstaffed DNT hut Tjoarvihytta (Čoarvi, about 600 m) is beside the road about 2 km before the lake. The road is usually open from about the turn of June/July; in winter and spring ski about 11 km from Skihytta along the road. From the hut head east up a gentle slope past a small lake (658 m) to a smaller lake at about 700 m, go through the small pass south of Juhtar and descend on its east side, then continue south along the east side of Balvatnet, cutting across the plateau north of Vuotsas at about 740 m. A well-marked route from Balvatnet to Mavasjaure crosses the saddle just north of Vuotsas (660–680 m), the mountain's key col. Pass north-west of Vuotsas, traverse west of it and descend into Båtskardet. From Båtskardet climb the initially steep slope with scattered cliffs; above about 1,000 m a fairly flat section about 2 km long leads to the main ridge at about 1,200 m. Follow the ridge, keeping away from the very steep north side. Higher up the ridge narrows below a distinct step visible from afar: go up to the left, where there is still a margin from the vertical north face; about halfway up a low point allows you to pull back onto the ridge, which has a few more small steps before easing to the summit cairn. In winter conditions Bjørstad's party cut steps here. Descend the same way; in poor visibility the cliff-banded lower slopes need careful navigation.