Climbing on Bornholm, Denmark

Believe or not - you can actually climb in flat Denmark on the beautiful rocky island Bornholm south of Sweden. Earlier this month I went there for two weeks primarily to read some of the 730 grant applications I am currently reviewing for the Danish Medical Research Council but I also had a few days to go climbing and see some of the beautiful scenery :-)

The climbing turned out to be fantastic. Elvira and I visited two crags, Hammerbruddet and Randkløve which were both in extremely beautiful settings with great granite rock. The crags on Bornholm are rather small and most routes are fairly short and on own gear, but I would still strongly recommend going there as there are plenty of high quality routes too keep you happy for a while - and then there are a ton of interesting sightseeing you can do on rest- or rainy days. Finally, I truly enjoy the special atmosphere and culture you find in this remote part of Denmark. The Danish Alpine Club has made an online climbing guide: http://bornholm.danskbjergklub.dk/ and the official Bornholm tourist site is: http://www.bornholm.info

Below you find a selection of our climbs and Bornholms sights:

Hammerbruddet is an old granite mine which sports great routes around the artificial lake Opalsøen.







Hans leading the route Chip og Chap (5-), Hammerbruddet.



















Hans leading the super classic Hammercracket (6-), Hammerbruddet - one of the best routes on Bornholm.


















Elvira and Hans at the top of Chip og Chap, Hammerbruddet with a fantastic view of the lakes Opalsøen and Hammersø. In the background you can see the ocean and the Hammershus Castle Ruins.









Elvira following on Victory (4+), Randkløve.




















Elvira getting the rope ready under the crack Sorte Else (5), Randkløve. Another great classic on Bornholm.



















Elvira enjoying the ocean view from the top of Victory. Awesome crack right on the ocean front!














And then some non-climbing pictures from our Bornholm sightseeing:
My parents, Elvira and Sofie on Dueodde - a beautiful beach on the Southern tip of Bornholm.











A typical yellow-painted half-timbered fisherman's cottage in the harbour of Gudhjem.










The windmill of Gudhjem - the largest in Denmark!




















Bornholm is famous for it four round churches, of which the one in Østerlars is the most visited. The building on the left is the bell tower.











Østerlars Round Church is also beautiful inside with old chalk paintings. Again I was impressed with the ability of my Nikon D300 to take pictures in low light conditions at high ISO (here 1600) without much noise. Great in a church like this where you are not allowed to use flashlight!






Olsker Round Church - not as popular as the one in Østerlars, but equally beautiful.














Post mill in Svaneke [a.k.a. Bechs Mølle] - a beautifully preserved mill originally from 1629.



















Hammer harbour - note the Hammershus Castle Ruins in the background.












Click here if you want to read more about our trip with a focus on Sofie.