Sjoa

The Sjoa is a river in Innlandet county, Norway. The 98-kilometre (61 mi) long river runs through the municipalities of Vågå and Sel and it provides the outlet from lake Gjende at Gjendesheim in the Jotunheimen mountains of Norway's Jotunheim National Park. The river flows eastward through the Sjodalen valley and Heidal valley into the Gudbrandsdalslågen river at the village of Sjoa.[1]

This article is about the river in Norway. For the village in Sel, Norway, see Sjoa (village).
Sjoa
View of the river (2005)
Credit: TaHan
Sjoa is located in Innlandet
Sjoa
Location of the river
Sjoa is located in Norway
Sjoa
Sjoa (Norway)
Location
CountryNorway
CountyInnlandet
MunicipalitiesVågå and Sel
Physical characteristics
SourceGjende lake
 • locationGjendesheim, Vågå
 • coordinates61.4949763°N 8.8080739°E / 61.4949763; 8.8080739
 • elevation985 metres (3,232 ft)
MouthGudbrandsdalslågen
 • location
Sjoa, Sel
 • coordinates
61.67964345°N 9.53443765°E / 61.67964345; 9.53443765
 • elevation
270 metres (890 ft)
Length98 km (61 mi)
Basin size1,527 km2 (590 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average34.4 m3/s (1,210 cu ft/s)

South of the village of Randsverk, the river flows through Ridderspranget which is a ravine named after a Norwegian myth.

Rafting, kayaking and fishing

The river is used for kayaking, rafting and fishing. Thirteen deaths have occurred in the river, from 1989 to 2010. This includes four deaths involving a group of tourists in various inflatable "catarafts", on 24 July 2010 (a national newspaper claimed that at that time the level of the river was 10 centimetres (4 in) above a safe level for rafting).[2][3]

There are several companies offering rafting, kayaking, riverboarding and other activities in Sjoa and the surrounding area. Some parts of the river are impossible to raft. Some parts are blocked by large rocks which the river flows underneath. These areas are considered "death traps" by the local commercial rafting providers.

References
  1. Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (20 January 2020). "Sjoa". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  2. "Four Ukrainiens Died in Rafting Accident". The Nordic Page.
  3. Dagbladet, July 25, 2010 page 10


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