Svartisen

Svartisen covers about 370 square kilometres in two separate ice caps, Vestisen and Ostisen, divided by the Vesterdalen valley, making it the second-largest glacier on the Norwegian mainland. Its name means the black ice, from the dark blue-grey appearance of the older compressed ice. What sets it apart is how low it reaches: the Engabreen arm on the Holandsfjorden side descends to around twenty metres above sea level, one of the lowest-lying glacier fronts in mainland Europe outside the Alps. Access is from two directions, by boat across Svartisvatnet from the Mo i Rana side with a walk of about three kilometres to the Austerdalsisen front, or by boat across Holandsfjorden to the Engabreen approach.

Background

Svartisen is the collective name for two glaciers in Nordland county in northern Norway, lying in the Saltfjell mountains within Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park, in the municipalities of Beiarn, Meløy, Rana and Rødøy. They are separated by Vesterdalen, a valley 1 kilometre long. Vestisen, the western glacier, ranks after Jostedalsbreen as the second largest of mainland Norway, while Østisen, the eastern one, covers 148 square kilometres and is the country's fourth largest. The western ice cap lies just inside the Arctic Circle, mostly at around 1000 metres on a high plateau. Among Svartisen's outlet glaciers, Engabreen ended lower than any other glacier on the European mainland: in 2007 its end lay 20 metres above sea level. Water from the ice is collected for hydropower.

Source: Wikipedia, "Svartisen"

Highlights

• The low glacier front - Engabreen descending to near sea level.
• The blue ice - dark compressed ice giving the glacier its name.
• Svartisvatnet - the lake crossed by boat on the eastern approach.
• The guided ice walks - roped trips onto the glacier with operators.

When to go

June to September, when the boats run and the approach paths are clear; the season is short and boats stop early in autumn. Clear weather is important, as low cloud often covers the fronts entirely.

Things to know

Both approaches involve a boat with a limited timetable plus a walk of an hour or more over rough moraine, so a visit takes most of a day. Walking on the ice without a guide is dangerous and discouraged. The fronts have retreated a long way from where older photographs and signs place them.

Nearby

Mo i Rana, Gronligrotta and Marmorslottet are on the eastern side; the Helgeland coast lies west.

Key facts