SMÅLAND
Tucked away in the secluded forests in the province of Småland are a great
number of high quality crags. People have climbed in Småland since the
40's but the major development started when the French attitude and ethics
were imported in the late 80's/early 90's. The area is perfect for the
sport climber wishing to tick off a lot of routes.
Most of the crags are situated around the village of Gamleby and they
consist of steep and compact granite. On some crags the "modern"
ethics has unfortunately resulted in some chipped holds and an overuse
of bolts, but if you manage to ignore this you will have a good time at
the following places. Sjöända offers 40 sport routes, but not only in
the high numbers.
The middle grade climber can enjoy Mr Big (6) and Black Diamond (7-) while
those with big arms can try the pumpy routes on the main wall where Solar
Plexus (8) and Big Bang (8/8+) will give you a good work out. Marstrandsberget
is also popular with its technical, vertcal routes. Gyllene jammet (7)
and Rhapsody in Rock (7+) are definitely the best. Råsklippan is another
sport arena, with steep routes in the high numbers. If trad climbing is
your game try the clean cracks of Tjuvkyrkeberget. Dreamland Express (5),
Masterpiece (6), and Supersprickan (7) are all nice.
ÅGELSJÖN, NORRKÖPING
From Gamleby we head north towards Stockholm but before we arrive in Stockholm
we stop at Ågelsjön. Strategically situated outside the town of Norrköping,
160 kilometres south west of Stockholm, Ågelsjön attracts climbers from
all parts of Sweden. The development of Ågelsjön as a climbing area started
in the late 80's and now Ågelsjön is one of the best and most popular
areas in the country.
The name of the Ågelsjön climbing area is taken from the lake (sjö is
the swedish word for lake), by which the crags are situated. The lake
is warm and refreshing after a day on the rock while the vast and dense
forest surrounding the lake makes you feel as if you entered a painting
by John Bauer. Along the eastern shore of the lake you will find several
crags of different height. 200 metres from the parking is a small meadow
perfect for camping and within 100 metres you have about 100 short routes
to choose from.
The major attraction, however, is Stora Berget, a 40 metre granite wall
with inviting cracks. The following routes are highly recommended: Mörkret
faller - ljuset stiger (6-/6), Lavskägge (7-), Sillmarrilon (7-) and Free
Bird (6-). Next to Stora Berget is Sjöklippan, which drops 25 metres straight
into the lake. Here you can enjoy a couple of outstanding routes such
as Led Zeppelin (7-), Liemannen (8-) and Drömdiedret (6/6+). The total
number of routes at Ågelsjön is over 200 and you will find trad routes
alongside bolt ladders.
From top to bottom:
Stefan Rasmussen on Solar Plexus, Sjöända.
Stefan Rasmussen on Luhringen, Torp.
Fredrik Schlyter and Olle Welin on Liemannen, Ågelsjön.
Birgitta Nilsson on Crack, Ågelsjön.