Gaustatoppen

Gaustatoppen
	Gaustatoppen and Rjukan
height	1883 moh.
location	Norway , Vestfold og Telemark
Coordinates	59 ° 52 '52 " N , 8 ° 34' 59" E Coordinates: 59 ° 52 '52 " N , 8 ° 34' 59" E

Gaustatoppen , often just called Gausta in the local language , is a mountain in the Norwegian province of Vestfold og Telemark south of the city of Rjukan . With a height of 1883 moh. it is the highest mountain in the province.

Due to its conical shape, it protrudes from the landscape. With good visibility it is possible to see a sixth of Norway, which corresponds to approx. 60,000 km². The view extends in the east to the Swedish border, in the south to the sea.

The southern slope of the mountain is very steep and inaccessible; the wreck of an airplane lies there and was never recovered due to the location.

Ascent

The ridge to the summit

Several paths lead to the summit. The easiest ascent starts at the Stavsro car park ( 1173 m ) on the road between Rjukan and Tuddal . The walking time to the summit is between 2 and 3 hours. The partially very hard road overcomes to 3.5 km long, a height difference of about 700 m and is of red T in. There is also a route to the summit from Tuddal, but the walking time is longer.

There is also a path from Selstali west of the Gaustatoppen. This path is very steep. It is also marked with a red T.

The summit itself can be reached via a narrow rock ridge .

Mountain hut

Below the radio tower, at 1,860 m , is a mountain hut that is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from midsummer to mid-September. The hut was built in 1893 and expanded in 1998. Overnight stays in the hut are only possible after prior reservation.

Military use and mountain railway

Mountain hut and radio tower near the summit

Due to the height and location of the mountain, it was used as a radar and radio station during the Cold War . Military use only ended in 1995. A 55 m high antenna was built on the mountain in 1970 and used for radio and mobile communications. In order to be able to reach the summit all year round, a mountain railway (" Gaustabanen ") was driven into the rock from Rjukan between 1954 and 1959 . It consists of an 850-meter-long, horizontally running “flat railway” and a steep funicular with an inclined length of 1045 meters. The construction costs at that time amounted to around 1 million US dollars. In order to refinance the costs, the train was supposed to be used by tourists from the beginning, but due to the secrecy during the Cold War, it came much later. Even local residents were not aware of the existence of the railway. The mountain railway begins on the road between Rjukan and Tuddal at 1170 m with a horizontal path. After a journey of 860 m there is a transit station inside the mountain where passengers have to change trains. From there, the funicular begins , which overcomes an altitude of 1,050 m over an altitude of 650 meters. The mountain station is located at 1800 m and thus about 75 m below the mountain hut, at the end of a tunnel in the mountain. The funicular has an incline of 39 °. The mountain railway has been used commercially since 2004.

Sports

The Norseman Xtreme Triathlon , which starts in Eidfjord , ends at the summit of Gaustatoppen . In winter, the Gaustatoppen is a popular destination for alpine and cross-country skiers.