Østlige Kjostinden (1420), Lyngen, Norway


 

Østlige Kjostinden as seen from Lyngenfjorden.

Østlige Kjostinden is not a separate mountain, but a pointy peak on the South East ridge of Store Kjostinden.
It was first climbed by Elizabeth Main (a.k.a. Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond) and the Swiss guides Emil and Josef Imboden on July 17th 1898.
This was their first ascent in Lyngen.

"Soon after our arrival, Mr Slingsby sent 
us word that their party had ascended the Kjostind*, a peak conspicuous (as we imagined) 
from Lyngseidet, and an admirable point of 
view. We were just starting for this mountain 
when Mr Slingsby's note arrived, but decided 
to go for it all the same, as our side of the 
peak was still untouched, and we wanted 
to prove that it could be easily done from 
Lyngseidet. Our hostess was not encouraging. She said that the Kjostind must be very 
difficult, and (with all due respect for Mr 
Slingsby) probably impossible. This opinion 
she based on the fact that a German gentleman, with a peasant from the village, had 
attempted to reach the summit, and, having 
failed, declared that the ascent was quite 
impracticable.
We started, however, and from our entire ignorance of the whole district, we had a nice 
business with it! At first all went beautifully. 
We crossed the glacier - we named it the 
Gjoever glacier - got on to the rocks, and 
mounted steadily and rapidly. In about five 
hours from Lyngseidet, Imboden said: "We 
are close to the top!" We pressed on, 
pulled ourselves up a steepish bit of crag, 
and then--? Well, we were indeed near to 
the top in point of distance, but very far in 
point of time, for at our feet was a deep 
gash in the ridge, and beyond it rose the 
highest peak which consisted of about as 
sheer a cliff as I ever want to meet with, 
and there seemed no means of outflanking 
it without a much longer detour than I cared 
about on this my first climb that summer. 
However, our peak, if a little one - fully 200 
feet lower than the other - was yet our very 
own, so we built a stone man, took some 
photographs, and made the best of our way 
home.

Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond: Mountaineering in The Land of The Midnight Sun (1908).

* actually Istinden.




Østlige Kjostinden from Lyngseidet.


© Geir Jenssen 2009

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