A trip to Mustavuori

On Thursday the 9th of June we (me, Olli, Elias, Nooa and of course Naksu) went to the exotic middle-regions of Finland, to the vicinity of Kouvula, to climb at Mustavuori. The drive there was around 4 hours. When we arrived in the evening we went climbing immediately and  were met with a gigantic mosquito swarm. Despite this we got our first climbing experience on the cliff. Around midnight we set our tents up, ate pasta and went to bed.

The next morning (Friday) we woke up at 6 o clock, feeling rested and excited. We climbed until the cliff was bathed in sunlight, turned into a giant frying pan and fried us. When it became too warm we went swimming and took a nap. In the evening we climbed a little more.

Saturday morning we got up, again at 6 o clock, not as rested. This time we went to Turunvuori, which lay very close to Mustavuori.The place was very beautiful and in an idyllic setting; the cliff lay right by a lake. Almost all routes were vertical (or slabs) and the holds were mostly really small and sharp. Climbing there was nice but not breathtaking. After a while it became hot again and we went swimming. When Mustavuori lay in shadows again we climbed there once more. Around 10 pm when we had packed all our stuff and set up the tents I discovered that my phone was lost. We went with Olli back to Turunvuori to look for it. Olli found my phone in a bush by the path and on the way there saw a Western Capercaillie (fi:Metso) which Naksu chased away. We drove back, slept and the next morning we woke up, again at 6, and this time I did not feel rested at all. We stuffed everything into the car and drove for 2 hours until we got to Reventeenvuori. Reventeenvuori was a nice cliff. As well as sports climbing there were also nice trad-climbing possibilities. There were some very easy routes but also some harder routes. On the way home we stopped to swim by a lake and Naksu found rotten fish entrails in which he rolled himself. After washing him we drove home.

Mustavuori as a climbing place was even better than what I expected. There were a lot of overhanging routes, not many easy routes, but if you’re searching for high-quality sports climbing, Mustavuori is definitely a place that suits you. In fact, the only setback was the mosquitoes. I can still hear them buzzing in my ear…