A Trip to Finlands ice climbing Mecca, Korouoma - 2004
Me, Mikko, Pauli and Juho desided to head 900 km north. The destination was Korouoma, the ice climbers Mecca in Finland. Korouoma is a long ravine / valley, that boasts around 15 different icefalls from dead hard to mellow. Most of the falls are around 50 m high, though some are shorter and others longer.
The trip was a fine experince, and I did clock my first WI4 icefall. On the sad front, I got a 2nd degree frostbite on my toes... The weather report was all wrong, it promised - 8 degrees C, but it was nearly - 28 C. So after the first day I didn't use my La Sportiva Trango Extreme high performance iceboots, but instead climbed with three heavy socks and some sleeping pad material ducktaped to my AT-boots (without the liner, as it was too small). Lesson learned, next time I'm heading there I'll bring my Millet Everest High Altitude boots as well ;-).
The waterfall called Jaska Jokunen, our target for the day. That day I was climbing with Mikko. Pauli and Juho started at Ruskea Virta -fall, but after one climb, desided it was too hard for them (at the beginning of the trip) and moved to Mammutti-falls.
Looking up the fall (Jaska Jokunen), and trying to deside where to pic my line.
This is the damage I did, you can clearly see the "line" I cleared on the snowy portions of the fall, as well the the place where we rapelled down. Even though the line seems trival, it did have a few harder parts. One of the memorable things was a groove or openbook, with ice on one side and rock in the other.
Finnish forest in the winter.
Some possibility for summer/mixed lines, BTW those trees on top of the cliff are around 15 m high.
Ruskea Virta -fall, the main fall is well formed but usually a few harder lines form on the rock on the right. To give some perspective, my 50 m ropes weren't long enough to do the main fall in one pitch (I climbed up just to the lookers left of the "moist" part on the right side a few days later).
The following day Juha led another, steeper line at Jaska Jokunen.
While I went XC-skiing, these falls are called "Tuulen tie", vertical hanging chandelliers with often some mixed stuff thrown in between. These falls don't form every year.
And this fall is called "Timantti kouru", ice between 50 and 80 degrees, around 10 to 20 m wide and 40 m high.
Some other fall, which name escapes me.
Again, Tuulen Tie -falls, from another perspective to give a clear idea of the steepness.
Pauli belaying near the spruce at the top of the fall, Mikko and Juho simul-climbing as seconds (we were using half-ropes) on Jaska Jokunen.
Mikko inside the ice-cave, and Juho about to climb in, still at Jaska Jokunen.
Either Big Boy or Blue Boy. While Mikko leaded this fall with a lot of ledges, I started goofing around and actually soloed the whole line. After Pauli finished belaying Mikko, he promtly soloed the damn line as well. Juho nearly made to the fall, but alas as he didn't have skis he was so beat up he turned back to the tents (the snow was very deep for a persons without skis/snowshoes).
Sininen Putous or now know as Sudenhammas, a freestanding vertical pilar... Didn't even try that line.
Next we climbed Enkeliputous, Pauli led the line, and I did the steep snow -top part. Here's my top belay and Mikko sitting next to it. Notice how the sling is "hanging".
A view on the ravine/valley ontop of Enkeliputous.
Another scenic photo from the same place.
After trying to set off and avalance (an succeeding), this is how the carnage seemed 7 m below the crown.
Sadly our gear was stashed in the line of the avy (stupid buggers we were). Luckily only thing that suffered was my skis, and they were only half buried.
Goofing around next to the camp fire. Pauli enjoying a sausage. Oh, and as you can see we are defrosting our beer cans.
More goofing at the camp fire, now with headlights...
Juho leading Ruskeavirta (WI4'ish).
And to give a bit of perspective on the fall.
More of Juho's action on the lower (harder) part of the fall.
A view from the top of Ruskea Virta to the valley floor.
This would be Mikko leading from the stance on Ruskea Virta (my lead was the beginning, the WI4'ish part).
And me looking goofy, as I belay Mikko. As the habbit goes, we finished this climb (like so many others before) in pitch black darkness of the night...
Photos by me and a few by Mikko and Juho.
The trip was a fine experince, and I did clock my first WI4 icefall. On the sad front, I got a 2nd degree frostbite on my toes... The weather report was all wrong, it promised - 8 degrees C, but it was nearly - 28 C. So after the first day I didn't use my La Sportiva Trango Extreme high performance iceboots, but instead climbed with three heavy socks and some sleeping pad material ducktaped to my AT-boots (without the liner, as it was too small). Lesson learned, next time I'm heading there I'll bring my Millet Everest High Altitude boots as well ;-).
The waterfall called Jaska Jokunen, our target for the day. That day I was climbing with Mikko. Pauli and Juho started at Ruskea Virta -fall, but after one climb, desided it was too hard for them (at the beginning of the trip) and moved to Mammutti-falls.
Looking up the fall (Jaska Jokunen), and trying to deside where to pic my line.
This is the damage I did, you can clearly see the "line" I cleared on the snowy portions of the fall, as well the the place where we rapelled down. Even though the line seems trival, it did have a few harder parts. One of the memorable things was a groove or openbook, with ice on one side and rock in the other.
Finnish forest in the winter.
Some possibility for summer/mixed lines, BTW those trees on top of the cliff are around 15 m high.
Ruskea Virta -fall, the main fall is well formed but usually a few harder lines form on the rock on the right. To give some perspective, my 50 m ropes weren't long enough to do the main fall in one pitch (I climbed up just to the lookers left of the "moist" part on the right side a few days later).
The following day Juha led another, steeper line at Jaska Jokunen.
While I went XC-skiing, these falls are called "Tuulen tie", vertical hanging chandelliers with often some mixed stuff thrown in between. These falls don't form every year.
And this fall is called "Timantti kouru", ice between 50 and 80 degrees, around 10 to 20 m wide and 40 m high.
Some other fall, which name escapes me.
Again, Tuulen Tie -falls, from another perspective to give a clear idea of the steepness.
Pauli belaying near the spruce at the top of the fall, Mikko and Juho simul-climbing as seconds (we were using half-ropes) on Jaska Jokunen.
Mikko inside the ice-cave, and Juho about to climb in, still at Jaska Jokunen.
Either Big Boy or Blue Boy. While Mikko leaded this fall with a lot of ledges, I started goofing around and actually soloed the whole line. After Pauli finished belaying Mikko, he promtly soloed the damn line as well. Juho nearly made to the fall, but alas as he didn't have skis he was so beat up he turned back to the tents (the snow was very deep for a persons without skis/snowshoes).
Sininen Putous or now know as Sudenhammas, a freestanding vertical pilar... Didn't even try that line.
Next we climbed Enkeliputous, Pauli led the line, and I did the steep snow -top part. Here's my top belay and Mikko sitting next to it. Notice how the sling is "hanging".
A view on the ravine/valley ontop of Enkeliputous.
Another scenic photo from the same place.
After trying to set off and avalance (an succeeding), this is how the carnage seemed 7 m below the crown.
Sadly our gear was stashed in the line of the avy (stupid buggers we were). Luckily only thing that suffered was my skis, and they were only half buried.
Goofing around next to the camp fire. Pauli enjoying a sausage. Oh, and as you can see we are defrosting our beer cans.
More goofing at the camp fire, now with headlights...
Juho leading Ruskeavirta (WI4'ish).
And to give a bit of perspective on the fall.
More of Juho's action on the lower (harder) part of the fall.
A view from the top of Ruskea Virta to the valley floor.
This would be Mikko leading from the stance on Ruskea Virta (my lead was the beginning, the WI4'ish part).
And me looking goofy, as I belay Mikko. As the habbit goes, we finished this climb (like so many others before) in pitch black darkness of the night...
Photos by me and a few by Mikko and Juho.
posted by Henkka at 14:47
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