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| 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. |
