Troll Wall
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The Troll Wall (Norwegian: Trollveggen) is part of the mountain massif Trolltindene (Troll Peaks) in the Romsdal valley, near Åndalsnes and Molde, on the Norwegian west coast. Troll Wall is the tallest vertical rock face in Europe, 1100 meters from the base to the summit at its tallest. At its steepest, the summit overhangs the base nearly fifty meters.
The rock is gneiss, and its large formations are shaping a broken face of huge corners, concave roofs, and crack systems, topped with a unique series of spires and pinnacles parading the summit rim. The rock is generally loose, and rock fall is the norm in this immense north facing big wall. A series of huge rock falls swiped the wall in autumn 1998, radically changing the character of several climbing routes.
The Troll Wall has been a prestigious goal for climbers and BASE jumpers alike. In 1984 Carl Boenish, the "father" of BASE jumping, was killed on the Troll Wall shortly after setting the world record for the highest BASE jump in history. BASE jumping in Troll Wall has been illegal since 1987.
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[edit] Climbing history
The Troll Wall was first climbed in 1965 by a Norwegian and a British team simultaneously. The Norwegians finished one day ahead of the British, who on their side established the most popular route on the wall, the Rimmon Route.
The wall saw its first winter ascent in March 1974, when a Polish team spent 13 days repeating the 1967 French Route. In 1979 the wall was free climbed for the first time by local climbing ace Hans Christian Doseth and Ragnhild Amundsen.
Today, there are 14 routes on the wall, ranging in length and difficulty. The classics Rimmon and Swedish routes were normally free climbed in a day or two until being heavily damaged by the 1998 rock falls. The longer and more engaging aid routes, such as the 1972 test piece Arch Wall (climbed by Ed and Hugh Drummond in 20 days), or the 1986 Death to All/Pretty Blond Vikings which cuts through the steepest part of the wall, requires advanced knowledge of big wall climbing and several days on the wall.
Due to the serious character of the wall, in addition to a cold and damp climate, new routes on Troll Wall are rare. The most recent contribution to the climbs on Troll Wall is the Krasnojarsk Route, established by a Russian team during 19 days in February 2002.
[edit] BASE Jumping
The Troll Wall has also gained notoriety as a favourite haunt of BASE jumpers. Having claimed the lives of at least seven BASE jumpers it remains one of the most dangerous sites for the sport. A list of the jumpers who perished at the Troll Wall is provided below -
- Carl Boenish, 43, July 7, 1984
- Jørgen Håkonson, 19, August 18, 1985
- Jari Mynttinen, 32, August 24, 1985
- John Raymond "Fossie Bear" Foster, June 20, 1986
- Daniel Twomey, August 4, 1999
- Linus Rains, 28, July 23, 2003
- Tony "Coombesy" Coombes, 30, May 27, 2006
BASE jumping in the Troll Wall has been illegal since 1987. The possession of a parachute in the mountains near the Troll Wall is also illegal.
[edit] Reference
- Anne Grete Nebell and Bjarte Bø, Klatring i Romsdal, 1999.
