TROMSDALSTIND SKYRACE
Saturday, August the 5th
32 km - 2000 m vertical
Tromsdalstind Skyrace provides a good introduction to Skyrunning. The course consists of a variation of soft trail, open terrain, rocky terrain and a scenic ridge. It is less technical than the Hamperokken Skyrace, but still lets the runners enjoy views of majestic mountains and the fjords around Tromsø.
CUT-OFF TIME
2 hours at the summit of Bønntuva
Racers who do not make the cut-off will return via the Bønntuva Skyrace course and receive times for completing Bønntuva Skyrace
AID STATIONS
Aid station at each passing of Fjellheisen (km 5 and km 27)
The aid station will provide a limited selection of fruit and bars.
Water will be provided, but there are no cups. You will only be able to fill your own cup/bottle that you carry with you. We encourage athletes to fill water in brooks along the way instead of at the aid station (much more efficient!).
DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE:
The race starts and finishes by the sea in Tromsø’s city center at Clarion Hotel The Edge. The first 3km follows the streets and over the bridge to the mainland. By the edge of the city, the first climb starts on a good trail that brings you up to the Fjellheisen (cable car) at 420 m.a.s.. Now above the tree line, terrain is mainly meadows patched with rocky areas. The next 8km are easy to run, very enjoyable, ups and downs (between 400 and 750hm) along smooth contour. You will pass the summit of Bønntuva, where the Bønntuva Skyrace turns around. In the next valley there is a small river crossing by the lake. This is the last place to fill water before arriving on the other side of Tromsdalstind. It is highly recommended to fill water bottles here! There will be path most of the time on this section, but be aware of the flags as the trails disappear in some areas. At the start of the final climb to the summit of Tromsdalstind, the trail becomes steeper and rockier, with some loose, uneven terrain. You will follow the ridge to the summit of Tromsdalstind (1238h m.a.s.). On a clear day you will have an amazing overview of the entire Tromsø-region. You will be able to see the Lyngen penninsula to the East, and the mountains islands surrounding Tromsø to the North and West. There is also a good view back to the city of Tromsø.
The descent from Tromsdalstind back towards the city follows the popular hiking trail, but it is still steep and rocky. At the base of the steep, rocky ridge, you make a sharp left turn onto a beautiful plateau. Here you are treated to soft terrain and some easy going before descending to the valley. After joining a dirt road down for a few hundred meters, you will then take a sharp right turn and start the last ascent up to the Fjellheisen (cable car) again. It might not look impressive at first, but the steady uphill that you will need to deal with for the next 4km can be grueling. It’s a wide path and it never gets steep, but rolls up and down, gradually gaining elevation. Once you are on the top of the cable car you will find the last aid station. Here the bendy, fun track will lower you back to town. Then you only have to cross the bridge and follow the streets and wharf along the city center to get to the finish line at The Edge.