Kebnekaise

: "See Kebnekajse for the Swedish band."Infobox Mountain
Name = Kebnekaise
Photo = Kebnekaise_view_from_Tuolpagorni.jpg
Caption = Kebnekaise, view from Tuolpagorni
Elevation = convert|2104|m|ft|0
Range = Scandinavian Mountains
Location = flag|Sweden
Prominence = convert|1750|m|ft|0|abbr=on [ [http://www.ii.uib.no/~petter/mountains.html Mountains I have climbed and remember ] ]
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = right
pushpin_map_caption =
pushpin_mapsize = 175
coordinates_ref=
latd= 67|latm= 53|lats= 00|latNS=N
longd= 18|longm= 33|longs= 00|longEW=E
Coordinates = coord|67|53|N|18|33|E|type:mountain_region:SE|display=inline,title
Topographic

Type =
Age =
First ascent = 1883 by Charles Rabot
Easiest route = rock/ice walk
Listing = Ultra

Kebnekaise (from Sami "Giebmegáisi" or "Giebnegáisi", "Cauldron Crest") is the highest mountain in Sweden and Sápmi. The Kebnekaise massif, which is part of the Scandinavian Mountains, has two peaks, of which the southern, glaciated one is highest at 2,104 metres (ca. 6,900 ft) above sea level at the latest time of measurement. The north top (2,097 m) is free of ice. Kebnekaise lies in Lapland, about 150 kilometres (ca. 90 miles) north of the Arctic Circle and west of Kiruna near the popular Kungsleden hiking trail between Abisko and Nikkaluokta.

The glacier has shrunk, therefore the summit is not as high as earlier. The top is traditionally said to be 2,111 m, and higher in the oldest measurement, i.e. 2,117 m. If the melting continues at the same rate, the south peak will sink below the north peak (which is the highest "fixed" point in Sweden) within a few years' time. [ [http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/ekot/artikel.asp?artikel=1422159 Toppskifte på Kebnekaise - sr.se ] ] [http://www.fjallklubben.org/fjallet/artiklar/4-04art2.htm Kebnekaises sydtopp – högst i Sverige? ]

A mountain lodge, Kebnekaise mountain lodge (Kebnekaise fjällstation), is located at the foot of Kebnekaise. It is the starting point for an ascent via the western route (västra leden, ca. 13 km, 4–6 hrs to the summit) or the eastern route (östra leden, ca. 10 km, 3–5 hrs to the summit). The western route leads over scree slopes and the intermediate top Vierranvárri to the glaciated summit. The eastern route leads over glaciers and rocks (UIAA grade I-II) and is equipped with fixed, steel cables similar to a via ferrata.

In Europe, there are no higher mountains further north. It is said that an area (of both Sweden and Norway) corresponding to 9% of Sweden's surface area can be seen from the summit, which approximates to more than 40,000 km² – almost the size of The Netherlands.

References

External links

* [http://www.m-klueber.de/Foto/Lappland/Lappland.htm Photo gallery on Marco Klüber Photography]
* [http://www.fjallklubben.org/fjallet/artiklar/4-04art2.htm Article about the varying elevation of the South Peak (Swedish)]
* [http://xray.bmc.uu.se/markh/skiing/mountain_index.html Ski touring reports from Swedish mountains, including Kebnekaise (English)]