Gaustatoppen

Coordinates: 59°51′15″N 8°38′57″E / 59.8542°N 8.6492°E / 59.8542; 8.6492
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Gaustatoppen
Highest point
Elevation1,883 m (6,178 ft)[1]
Prominence964 m (3,163 ft)[1][2]
Isolation96.6 km (60.0 mi)[1]
Listing#8 (Highest points of Norwegian counties)
Coordinates59°51′15″N 8°38′57″E / 59.8542°N 8.6492°E / 59.8542; 8.6492[3]
Geography
Map of the location
Map of the location
Gaustatoppen
Location of the mountain
Map of the location
Map of the location
Gaustatoppen
Gaustatoppen (Norway)
LocationTelemark, Norway
Topo map1614 IV Rjukan
Climbing
First ascent1810 by Jens Esmark
Easiest routeFunicular system inside mountain or hike from a carpark on the southeastern side.

Gaustatoppen is a

Hjartdal Municipality.[1]

The view from the summit is impressive, as one can see an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometres (23,000 sq mi), nearly one-sixth of Norway's mainland. The mountain is popular for downhill skiing in the winter, and competitions have been held on its slopes. These competitions include the "Norseman triathlon", billed as "the world's most brutal iron-distance triathlon". It starts in Eidfjord and finishes at the top of Gaustatoppen. The summit is accessible on foot in the summer, on a rocky pathway of medium difficulty, although the southwestern side of the mountain is very dangerous and inaccessible. The wreckage of an airplane crash still lies on that side of the mountain since it is too difficult to remove it.

Name

The first element is Gausta, the name of the whole mountain, the last element is the finite form of

summit". The name Gausta is probably a shortened form for Gaustafjell which means "Gausta mountain", because Gausta originally was the name of a farm beneath the mountain. (For the same development see Dovre.) The Old Norse form of the name was maybe Gautstǫð, the name is then a compound of gaut which means "flooded place", and stǫð which means "stead" or "landing place for boat". (The farm lies along the Rjukan
river.)

Railway

There is a

military radio relay station built on (and inside) the mountain top. The installation is now a tourist attraction. It was financed mainly by American military grants, and cost one million US dollars to build from 1954 to 1959.[4]

Gausta skicenter

The Gausta skicenter is a skiing centre on the mountain. It was created when two smaller alpine ski areas (Gaustatoppen Skisenter and Gaustablikk Skisenter) were merged and then a further expansion of slopes. As of 2019, it had 45 kilometres (28 mi) of slopes and 550 metres (1,800 ft) height difference. The skiing centre is located about 180 kilometres (110 mi) by road from Oslo and it aims to be one of the major ski areas in Norway.

  • Gaustatoppen and Rjukan
    Gaustatoppen and Rjukan
  • Gaustatoppen painted by Peder Balke around 1858
    Gaustatoppen painted by Peder Balke around 1858
  • Summit installation
    Summit installation
  • Gaustatoppen 2012
    Gaustatoppen 2012
  • Gaustatoppen view
    Gaustatoppen view
  • Gaustatoppen 360 degree photo
    Gaustatoppen 360 degree photo
  • Gaustatoppen
    Gaustatoppen

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gaustatoppen.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Gaustatoppen". PeakVisor.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Petter Bjorstad's mountain site".
  3. ^ "Gaustatoppen, Tinn" (in Norwegian). yr.no. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Kan havne på private hender" (in Norwegian).


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