Helleskilen at Foten is one of the best and most popular bouldering destination around Oslo. Situated by the sea right outside Fredrikstad, this wall offers some classic lines.
The wall is nearly 100 m long and approx 10-50 degrees overhanging and consist of nice ocean polished granite. Powerful climbing on crimps and smooth slopers, and a lot of slopy mantle topouts. Landings are close to perfect.
Det best conditions can be found on a chilly and sunny winter day, but the crag is also very enjoyable in summer, with great opportunities for bading and picnicking.
WC can be found at the restaurant at Foten badeplass.
Please show respect to other users of the area (don't block the pathway for hikers), leave no traces, remove tickmarks, don't play music, enjoy!
The hillside at Helleskilen was operated as a quarry by the Germans during World war II. Serbian and Russian prisoners of war was possibly the ones doing the work at the quarry. After the war the pier bellow the wall was constructed by Gudmund Harlem (the father of the first female Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland), who was a minister in Einar Gerhardsen’s government.
The bouldering opportunities was discovered and developed by Marius Morstad, Leif Henning Broch and Geir Harald Samuelsen in the early 2000’s. They made the first topos for the crag, and made up names in the process. Who got which first ascents was not as important back then. Boulders where done and forgotten.
Later Marius brought his friend Malcolm Smith over from the UK which resulted in him making first ascents of the hardest lines. These were some of the hardest lines around Oslo for a long time. More recently the level has been raised again through ascents of the sitstart-additions to these lines. There are still additions to be made, so maybe the level will be raised once again in the near future.
