Bouldering in Sweden - Local Shares Her Top 5 Spots!
Anna Hassel is a boulder enthusiast and 27 Crags ambassador who has visited most Sweden’s many bouldering spots. Here she gives us a selection of her favourite spots and areas for bouldering, right in time for the start of the season!
Remember to park on the assigned parking spots and take your trash with you. In Sweden ‘The Right of Public Access’ gives you the freedom to roam just about anywhere in the countryside, just remember to check out your rights and responsibilities before heading out to the boulders.
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Knutby – Classic High Quality Climbs
About 23 km east of Linköping lies Knutby, a crag named after the bizarre religious murder drama taking place during its development. During my four years living in Norrköping, a city close by, this was the place we went to - maybe even too many times!
David Dahlin on the high quality boulder "Kolossus" 6C in Knutby. Photo by Joakim Tunje
After some distance and experience I’ve come to realise how good this place is. This bouldering spot is compact with a fair amount of high end boulders with good rock quality. Part of the boulders are situated in a beautiful oak forest which makes up a nice surrounding for climbing and for having a Swedish fika. The type of climbing features mainly nice crimps and technical moves.
Number of problems: 216
Variation: From 3 to 8B
Beautiful climbs: Gubbkeps 5+, Kolossus 6C, Meles meles 6C, Tussilago 7A, Mad Hooker 7A+, Perk sa kärr ss 7C, Marty Mat & The Funky Bunch 7C, Sammy Dahlman är fan bäst 7C+, Inglourious Basterds 8A.
Other notes: Avoid climbing on weekends during hunting season from October 1st until 31st of January. The area around “Perk sa Kärr” can be quite damp especially in spring so it’s advisable to bring a tarp to put under the pads.
The Southern Parts of Dalarna - A Forgotten Gem
This is a quite big county in Sweden. The parts I would like to highlight are in the south of Dalarna. Here you can find a vast number of boulders with superb rock quality. Due to its geographic placement it gets somewhat forgotten, but it’s truly a top-notch area for every boulderer.
Here you can climb on some of Sweden’s best boulders and the chance of meeting anyone else in the forest is less than zero. Some places are big with a lot of boulders (both compact and spread out), for example Lensberget/Grossberget and Stennäset. But there are also a lot of small spots sprinkled around the area. The energy you put on walking/driving to get to boulders is rewarded with beautiful climbs.
Number of problems: Around 1800
Variation: From 3 to 8A+
Beautiful climbs: Fredagen den 13 6B+ (at Stennäset), Gladiator-stand 7A (at Jungfruberget), Masarin 7B+ (Lensberget/Grossberget), Från topp till tå 7C, (Stennäset) Syntax Error 7C (Lamborn), Formel 1 (Mellanvalsan), The Monkey Goes Ape 8A+ (Kvarntäkt/Toftbyn).
Other notes: Search for “Falun” or ‘Borlänge’ in the 27crag app or on 27crags.com to see what the area offers.
Gävle – Great Rock Quality and Big Boulders
Gävle is a city on the east coast of central Sweden. Before I started climbing this was a city I only passed by while driving to other places. Things have changed and last year it felt like ‘all roads lead to Gävle’. The reason why climbing in Gävle is so good is quite simple: the boulders are big and proud and most of the areas have good rock quality. The climbing itself often comes down to nice edges in overhangs with varying angles.
Anna Hassel climbing "Flygande kniven" 7B in Oppala, Gävle. Photo by Jimmy Karlsson
Gävle is made up of lots of smaller crags. Some of the bigger crags (e.g. Oppala) can be a bit spread out and even though two boulders belong to the same crag, you might need to drive in between them. There are several beautiful places to camp in the area, where one favourite is Testeboåns nature reserve.
Number of problems: About 550
Variation: From 5 to 8A+
Beautiful climbs: Jävla lussekatt 6A (Oppala), Myror i brallan 6C+ (Oppala), Salut 7A+ (Oppala), Screwdriver 7A (Bladmyran), Flygande kniven 7B (Oppala), Hunger Strike 7C (Hillevik), The Art of War 8A (Oppala), Hollow 8A+ (Bladmyran).
Other notes: Some problems have gotten lost when older online topos were converted to 27 Crags, especially climbs below 7A.
Sundsvall – Bouldering Spot in Mid-Sweden
Samy Dahlman on the iconic "Saga" 8A at Raholmen, Sundsvall. Photo by Jimmy Karlsson
Embedded by mountains lies the city of Sundsvall. With its hilly surroundings and closeness to the sea the area qualifies to one, in my opinion, of Sweden’s most beautiful places - but I might be biased since as it’s my home area. There’s bouldering spots sprinkled in every direction.
The area holds up to 2000 boulder problems which are nicely spread between the grades. Development of new boulders has resulted in loads of easier problems, making the area a place which entertains climbers in all levels. Two of the top-notch places are Juniskär and Morskatsudden. Both are located just by the seaside which makes up for a beautiful setting as well as perfect summer destination.
Raholmen is a smaller area with some high quality hard problems. If you’re looking for a high-volume session, Sörfjärden with its 729 problems should keep you busy.
Number of problems: Around 2000
Variation: From 3 to 8A+
Beautiful climbs: Vändkant 6A (Juniskär), Smokehead 6C (Morskatsudden), Fire on the roof 7A (Juniskär), Stonehedge 7A (Sörfjärden), Centi 7A+ (Bergafjärden), Gyllene snittet 7B (Krokviken), Sultan of Swing 7B+ (Juniskär), Mellansvenska guld 7C+ (Sörfjärden), Saga 8A (Raholmen).
Other notes: The climbing community is active and welcoming. Just write at their local facebook page ‘Sundsvalls klätterklubb’ if you want company or just an advice.
Uppsala
Jimmy Karlsson looks up on his first ascent "Drömfabriken" 7B in the area of Uppsala. Photo by Anna Hassel
In such a flat terrain, it’s surprising how many boulders are lurking in this area. Starting in central Uppsala, you have a maximum of 20 minutes’ travel to the closest bouldering spot in whatever direction you might go.
The stone quality is varied between different areas and the best quality can be found in Källberga and Jumkil. The biggest bouldering crag in Uppsala, partly located in a beautiful nature reserve, is Focksta. Here you’ll get to climb on the classic granite that’s characteristic for the area.
You’ll find climbs in every style and which suit to everyone’s taste. Källbergahygget (not to be confused with Källberga) is the newest big addition and is one of the more popular areas. It’s located on a clearing so it won’t offer any shade on the sunny days. On the other hand, it will offer you nice boulders from easy to hard.
Number of problems: Around 1200 problems
Variation: From 3 to 8B/8B+
Beautiful climbs: Den enögda obelisken (Focksta) 6A+, Boulder problem sju (Svia) 6C, A Thrilla in Manilla (Jumkil) 6C+, Daniels överhäng (aka King Louie) (Nåsten-Enköpingsvägen) 7A, En fråga om balans (Focksta) 7B, Janne Bananne (Campusblocket) 7C, A-Team (Rörbo) 7C, Stjärnklart (Borganäs) 7C+, Ampere (Jumkil) 8A, Jon (Jumkil) 8A+
Other notes: Several roads and parking spots are close to residential buildings which makes it extra important to behave, not exceeding speed limits etc.
That’s it for now. Time to head outside and find your next projects!
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