On April 5th, 2023, Fritjof and Halvar climbed two new routes in Jotunheimen National Park. They skied into the area on April 4th, expecting three good days of weather after their arrival. The first route they established was on the previously unclimbed Northwest Face of Galdhøpiggen, which they named the Borealis Face. The second route was on an unnamed peak south of Galdhøpiggen, and the route they established was called the Agaric Couloir.
To climb the Borealis Face, Fritjof and Halvar skied to the base of the route from camp and used snow pickets to surmount the short-lived yet overhung Bergshrund. They cached their skis and simul-soloed the first half of their route, chasing the best ice runnels. The second half of the route was simul-climbed as the climbing became steeper and more exposed. During their climb, they were spotted by Frank Peterson, who was flying clients on a scenic flight. Peterson circled over Fritjof and Halvar and took photos.
The descent of the Borealis Face took almost as long as the ascent due to the amount of searching and digging required to find good rappel anchors in the rock. Fritjof and Halvar climbed the route in approximately 4 hours. In 1966, David Roberts, Arthur Davidson, David Johnston, Pete Meisler, and Richard Millikan likely were aiming for this face based on the location of their advanced basecamp, but poor weather kept them from making an attempt. The face is hard to see from almost anywhere in the Jotunheimen most traveled areas.
The following day, Fritjof and Halvar climbed the Agaric Couloir. They started in the afternoon for safer conditions and simul-soloed the first portion of the route. As the climbing got harder, they pitched out the route, beginning with an ice hose in a corner with a few mixed moves at the exit. The real crux of the route was a chockstone, which required an extensive amount of snow-shoveling/clearing to get to the rock. It required a few creative aid moves and an exciting mixed exit. Fritjof and Halvar completed their climb in 9 hours and were gifted with an incredible sunset. They descended quickly with abundant rock anchors.
