Svolværgeita: Climbing the Goat of Lofoten Above Svolvær

SummitClimbs Field Note: Svolværgeita, “the Goat” (Geita officially, Spålla in Northern Sami), is a 150 m rock pinnacle on the southwest face of Fløyfjellet, right above the town of Svolvær on Austvågøya in Lofoten. Its two horns, Storhorn and Lillehorn, give it its name, and the famous finale of a climb is the jump across the 1.5 m gap between them, with the town cemetery about 300 m below. It is a pure rock climb: every route to the top is graded climbing, so it is for experienced climbers or those with a guide. Everyone else can admire it from Svolvær.

The Goat Above Svolvær

The pinnacle stands on Fløyfjellet (569 m), on the edge of Svolvær in Vågan, Nordland. The official name is simply Geita, the finite form of geit, goat, because of its two horns; “Svolvær” is an unofficial prefix. In August 1998 a heat mirage convinced locals that the Goat was starting to collapse: one horn seemed to lean into the other, the news went out on NRK radio, climbers were stopped and evacuation of the houses below was being prepared before a meteorologist explained the optical illusion.

Svolværgeita at a Glance

• Height: a 150 m pinnacle; summit about 356 m above sea level
• Location: southwest face of Fløyfjellet, Svolvær, Vågan, Lofoten
• Horns: Storhorn and Lillehorn, about 1.5 m apart
• First ascent: 1 August 1910, Ferdinand Schjelderup, Alf Bonnevie Bryn and Carl Wilhelm Rubenson
• Classic routes: the 1910 Route; Forsida / The Front Side (grade 5+, 1947); Baksida / The Spiral Route (5+, 1928); Rappelruta (5); Vegetarianeren (5); Englevinger (6+); Highway to Heaven (6+, 1991)
• Type: technical rock climb; no walking route

The 1910 First Ascent

Before the climb, Bryn, Schjelderup and Rubenson bet a local hotel owner a bottle of wine that they would reach the top. They had just made the first ascent of Stetind on 30 July, and on 1 August 1910 they reached the summit of the Goat at 11 pm, by a route that includes a diagonal traverse across the north wall, led by Rubenson. Two days later, on 3 August, the same trio made the first ascent of Trakta, one of the hardest summits in Norway.

Other Classic Routes

The longest and most classic line is Forsida (The Front Side, grade 5+), first climbed by Wilhelm Høyer and Alf Krane in 1947. Baksida, also called the Spiral Route (5+), was first climbed in 1928 by Bror Bommen and Bjørn Lyche. Rappelruta (5) was first top-roped by Svein Smaaskjær in the 1960s. The harder Englevinger (Angel Wings, 6+) was first aid-climbed by Arild Meyer and Hugo Bjørnstad in 1974 and freed in 1993 by Ed Webster, Arild Meyer and Odd-Roar Wik, and Highway to Heaven (6+) was first climbed in August 1991. Local climber and mountain guide Geir Rune Holm became the first person to climb the Goat 1,000 times, on 3 October 2021.

Before You Go

• Climb with experience or a guide: every route is graded rock climbing, and the jump between the horns is optional but committing.
• Admire it from below: you can see the Goat from Svolvær itself, on the edge of town below Fløyfjellet.
• More Lofoten: for a hike rather than a climb, see Lofoten’s big summit hikes such as Hermannsdalstinden.

The SummitClimbs Take

Svolværgeita is Lofoten’s most famous rock: a goat with two horns above the town, first climbed for a bottle of wine in 1910. Climb it with a guide and jump between the horns if you dare, or simply look up from Svolvær and enjoy the story.

Facts from Wikipedia (Svolværgeita) and Norwegian Wikipedia. Climb with a qualified guide unless you are experienced.