Møysalen
1,264 m
Norway
- Elevation
- 1,264 m
- Prominence
- 1,264 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: YDS class 3 (prominent-mountains.no) · Black / very demanding (ut.no)
The classic DNT-marked route from sea level: along Lonkanfjorden (or by boat from Hennes to its head), up Norddalen to Memuruskaret (500 m), past Øvre Møysalvatn to the 850 m col, then a steep cairned ridge with two chains, the '1000-metre plateau' and a short crossing of the Øverbreen snow crest 100 m below the summit.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 10.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,332 m
- −92 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,264 m
- Time Up
- 5h 57m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 17m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Most guided parties take a 20-minute boat from Hennes to a floating pier at the head of Lonkanfjorden, which cuts the round trip to about 16 km. Without a boat, start at the small parking about 1 km up the dirt road that forks off just before the Kaljord ferry quay (about 20 m) and follow the old path along the fjord, past Gammelgården after about an hour, and a 3 km disused mine railway bed into Norddalen to the old ore tip at its head. A steep path climbs to Memuruskaret (about 500 m), where the path from Ingelsfjordeidet joins. Continue on a good marked path, cross the stream from Øvre Møysalvatn (the last reliable water) and climb to about 700 m. Early in the season (June–July) it can be easiest to go up the edge of the Fonnisen glacier to the 850 m col; later, follow the path towards point 909 and drop into the col. The ridge above looks impregnable but cracks and gullies lead up it on a cairned path, with a couple of exposed passages and two short chains first fixed in 1933. Above the football-pitch-sized '1000-metre plateau', keep sharp right up the rock steps; there are airy spots above the glacier. About 100 m below the summit the route crosses Øverbreen, usually a narrow snow crest; in late summer a gap opens between snow and rock, and on cold days the snow is hard enough to need crampons or microspikes. A short rock section leads to the large summit cairn. Allow 10–12 hours round trip from the boat landing and longer from Kaljord; the descent is as demanding as the ascent.
Start
Kaljord19 m
- Public transport to Kaljord was not verified; a car is usual (Kaljord is about 140 km from Evenes airport). Guided trips include the boat Hennes–Lonkanfjorden (late June to late September). No express boat runs from Hennes after the group returns.
- Parking at the trailhead
Waypoints
- Parking: Kaljord19 m
Parking on a dirt road forking uphill just before the ferry quay; boat alternative from Hennes to the head of Lonkanfjorden
- Feature: Gammelgården6 m
Old farm at the head of Lonkanfjorden; signed bypass path
- Col: Memuruskaret503 m
Junction with the path from Ingelsfjordeidet
- Col: Col 850841 m
Reached via the edge of Fonnisen (early season) or past point 909
- Summit: Møysalen1,264 m
Key Passages
- Path along Lonkanfjorden and the old mine railway in Norddalen
- Steep climb to Memuruskaret
- Fonnisen edge or point 909 to the 850 m col
- Chained gullies on the ridge
- 1000-metre plateau and airy rock steps
- Øverbreen snow crest
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest mountain in Vesterålen and on Hinnøya, Norway's largest coastal island, climbed from sea level with fjord views in every direction. A long, marked day with chains, airy rock steps and a narrow snow crest just below the summit.
Møysalen (about 1,262–1,264 m) stands in the north-west of Møysalen National Park on Hinnøya, on the boundary of Sortland and Lødingen municipalities. Because the island's highest point is also its key col, its prominence equals its height, and it is the second-highest summit on any Norwegian island after Langlitinden on Andørja. The name means roughly 'the maidens' hall': Store Møya and Litje Møya, two rock needles south of the summit, are said to be troll maidens turned to stone.
The classic route starts at the head of Lonkanfjorden, reached by boat from Hennes or on foot from Kaljord, and climbs through an old mining landscape to Memuruskaret, then up a steep ridge that looks impassable from below but goes easily up cracks and gullies. The crux is near the top, where the route crosses the small glacier Øverbreen on a narrow snow crest. The view from the cairn takes in Lofoten, Vesterålen, Hadselfjorden and the Ofoten mountains.
The national park centre at Hennes has run guided summer trips since the 1980s, and the outdoor magazine UTE named the climb Norway's finest nature experience in 2009. Queen Sonja climbed it in 2003, the year the park was created.
Climbing Notes
Plan 10–12 hours round trip from the head of Lonkanfjorden (about 16 km) and more from Kaljord (about 24 km) or Ingelsfjordeidet (21–25 km). You need good fitness and a head for some exposed scrambling with two short chains. The descent is as demanding as the ascent.
Øverbreen is the main difficulty: a narrow snow crest about 100 m below the summit. In late summer a gap opens between snow and rock, making it awkward to step onto; on cold days (below about +10 °C in the lowlands) the snow is hard and crampons or microspikes are needed. Many independent parties go without a rope, but consider carrying a rope, crampons and an ice axe. Guided trips from Møysalen Nasjonalparksenter at Hennes run from late June to late September, start at 09:00 and need booking by 14:00 the day before. Refill water below about 650 m.
History
The first written record is a note left in a bottle on the summit by Mikal Hertzberg, curate of Hadsel, on 10 August 1903; the next entry dates from 19 July 1914. On 30 July 1933 Jørgen and Joakim Olsen, son and grandson of the bear hunter Ole Larsen, fixed the first chains on the ridge. Store Møya was first climbed in 1910 by a German woman and two Swiss climbers via its south-east wall; Litje Møya, much harder, was probably first climbed in 1937. Ore was mined in Lonkanfjorden between 1905 and 1914, and the old railway bed is part of the route.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Polar night; winter ascent only for experienced mountaineers
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter ascents on ski from Forkledalen for experienced parties
- Apr
- Spring snow; avalanche risk
- May
- Much snow; ut.no season starts in May
- Jun
- Midnight sun; Fonnisen edge often easiest; guided trips start late June
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; gap may open at the Øverbreen snow crest
- Sep
- Guided trips until late September; hard snow on cold days
- Oct
- End of ut.no season; early snow and short days
- Dec
- Polar night
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Guided tour with boat transfer from Møysalen Nasjonalparksenter, Hennes (price on request)
- Rules
- The summit and upper route lie in Møysalen National Park (established 2003); standard Norwegian national park rules apply (no motorised traffic, no disturbance of wildlife).
- Getting There
Sortland
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes (EVE); Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen (SKN) is closer (regional flights)
- By car from Evenes on the E10 over Tjeldsundet, then road 85 north along Gullesfjorden and the turn for Kaljord, about 140 km; Hennes is about 1 h from Sortland and 1 h 30 min from Harstad
- Car ferry Hanøy–Kaljord connects to the E10 Lofast road; Hennes is a 5-minute drive from Kaljord
- Boat from Hennes to the head of Lonkanfjorden on guided trips or by arrangement with Møysalen Nasjonalparksenter
- Alternative start from the E10 car park at Ingelsfjordeidet
Hazards
- Glacier
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness