Jiekkevarre

Jiehkkevárri
Jiekkevarre with its glacier towering over the ice-free Balsfjord. February 2009.
Highest point
Elevation	1,834 m (6,017 ft)
Prominence	1,741 m (5,712 ft)  2nd in Norway
Isolation	158 kilometres (98 mi)
Listing	Ultra
Coordinates	69°28′09″N 19°52′36″E / 69.46917°N 19.87667°E / 69.46917; 19.87667Coordinates: 69°28′09″N 19°52′36″E / 69.46917°N 19.87667°E / 69.46917; 19.87667
Geography
Jiehkkevárri Location in Norway
Location	Tromsø and Lyngen Troms county, Norway
Parent range	Lyngen Alps
Topo map	1633 IV Storfjord
Climbing
First ascent	1899
Easiest route	Skiing

Jiehkkevárri (sometimes spelled as Jiekkevarri or Jiekkevarre or Norwegianized Jæggevarre) is a mountain on the border of the municipalities of Lyngen and Tromsø in Troms county, Norway. It is the highest mountain in Troms county and has the second highest prominence (primary factor) among Norwegian mountains. The 1,834-metre (6,017 ft) tall mountain sits about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northeast of the village of Lakselvbukt and about 17 kilometres (11 mi) southwest of Lyngseidet.

The first people known to have climbed it were Geoffrey Hastings (British) and Elias Hogrenning (Norwegian) in 1899. Its summit is ice-capped and any ascent involves a crossing of crevassed glaciers. Therefore, climbing it needs guiding by experienced mountaineers.

In winter, an experienced ski-mountaineer can traverse Jiehkkevárri in one long day, descending almost from the top via the steep, North-East facing couloir, described by the late Andreas Fransson as "a future classic for the new generation of mountain skiers". The descent route is exposed to serac fall from above, and is generally not recommended for ascending.

The name is a compound of the Sami language words jiehkki which means "glacier" and várri which means "mountain".