Stetind

Stetind or Stetinden (Norwegian) or Stádda (Lule Sami) is a mountain in the municipality of Narvik in Nordland county, Norway. It is located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) northeast of the village of Kjøpsvik. The mountain has very smooth sides reaching all the way to the fjord. Stetind has an obelisk-shape which gives it a very distinct look. In 2002 it was voted to be the "National Mountain" of Norway by listeners of NRK.[2][3]

"Stetind i tåke" painted by Peder Balke ca. 1864.
Stetind seen from Stefjordneset. Picture by William Cecil Slingsby, 1915.
This article is about the mountain in Narvik, Norway. For the mountain in Jotunheimen, Norway, see Stetinden (Lom).
Stetinden / Stetind
Stádda (Lule Sami)
View of Stetinden in June 2009
Highest point
Elevation1,392 m (4,567 ft)
Coordinates68.1652°N 16.5928°E / 68.1652; 16.5928[1]
Geography
Map of the location
Map of the location
Stetinden / Stetind
Location of the mountain
Map of the location
Map of the location
Stetinden / Stetind
Stetinden / Stetind (Norway)
LocationNordland, Norway
Topo map1331 III Kjøpsvik
Climbing
First ascent30 July 1910: Ferdinand Schjelderup, Carl Wilhelm Rubenson and Alf Bonnevie Bryn
Easiest routeClimbing, east wall

Climbing

The mountain had several attempts at first ascents. First was the German Paul Güssfeldt and the Norwegian Martin Ekroll in the summer of 1888. The Dane Carl Hall and the Norwegian mountain guide Mathias Soggemoen attempted in 1889.

Neither group succeeded, but Carl Hall built a cairn on the lower summit about 500 metres (1,600 ft) southeast of the main summit. That cairn is now called Halls fortopp (elevation 1,304 metres or 4,278 feet). In 1904, William Cecil Slingsby also failed to reach the summit.[3]

It was not until 30 July 1910 that Ferdinand Schjelderup, Carl Wilhelm Rubenson, and Alf Bonnevie Bryn finally reached the summit of Stetind.[4] The weather conditions were good. It was Rubenson's 25th birthday, and he was given the honor of being first in the rope. The hardest part was to pass the smooth crag "Mysosten", which Rubenson finger traversed along a tiny crack. After this passage there was an easy climb to the summit.[5] The same three climbers continued their 1910 tour by making first ascents of the Lofoten summits Svolværgeita and Trakta.[5] Arne Næss, Ralph Høibakk, and K. Friis Baasted did the first winter climb of Stetind in 1963 on the eastern wall. In 1966, Arne Næss and four others were the first ones to summit via the west wall.[6]

Name

The shape of the mountain has been compared with a ste which means "anvil" and the last element is the finite form of tind which means "mountain peak".[2] Slingsby characterized Stetind as the ugliest mountain he ever saw.[5]

Tourism

Stetind is not a particularly popular tourist destination, despite being Norway's national mountain.[7] It got a boom in tourism activity after the award, but the number of visitors returned to normal levels after a few years.[8]

References
  1. "Stetinden, Tysfjord (Nordland)" (in Norwegian). yr.no. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  2. Store norske leksikon. "Stetind" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  3. "Stetind - Norges nasjonalfjell". Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  4. Lauritzen, Per Roger, ed. (2009). "Stetind". Norsk Fjelleksikon (in Norwegian). Friluftsforlaget. ISBN 978-82-91-49547-7.
  5. Per, Hohle (1968). "Norsk tindesport gjennom hundre år". Hundre år i fjellet. Den Norske Turistforening 1868–1968 (in Norwegian). Den Norske Turistforening. pp. 86–99.
  6. Dyer, Anthony; Baddeley, John; Robertson, Ian H. (2006). Walks and Scrambles in Norway. Rockbuy Limited. ISBN 978-1-904466-25-3.
  7. "Norway's National Mountain Stetinden Explained - The Norway Guide". thenorwayguide.com. 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  8. Mikalsen, Kjell (2013-05-27). "– Stetind har blitt en fiasko". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-02-17.
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