Gaustatoppen

Gaustatoppen
Gaustatoppen
Highest point
Elevation	1,883 m (6,178 ft)
Prominence	950 m (3,120 ft)
Isolation	94.8 to 95 km (58.9 to 59.0 mi)
Listing	8 ; (Highest points of Norwegian counties)
Coordinates	59°51′14.9″N 8°39′01.2″E / 59.854139°N 8.650333°E
Geography
Location	Tinn, Telemark, Norway (peak) ; Hjartdal, Telemark, Norway (plattau)
Topo map	1614 IV Rjukan
Climbing
First ascent	1810 by Jens Esmark
Easiest route	Elevator system inside mountain.; Or hike from a parking place on the southeastern side.

Gaustatoppen is the highest mountain in the county Telemark in Norway who lies in the municipality Tinn and Hjartdal. The view from the summit is impressive, as one can see an area of approximately 60,000 km², one sixth of Norway's mainland. There is an elevator system inside the mountain, built for military purposes, which is now a tourist attraction. This ascends from the base of the mountain almost to the summit. The mountain is popular for downhill skiing in winter, and competitions have been held on its slopes. These competitions include the "Norseman triathlon", billed as "the world's most brutal iron-distance triathlon". It starts in Eidfjord and finishes at the top of Gaustatoppen. The summit is accessible on foot in the summer, on a rocky pathway of medium difficulty, although the southern side of the mountain is very dangerous and inaccessible. The wreckage of an airplane crash lies there, as it is too difficult to remove it.

The name

The first element is Gausta, the name of the whole mountain, the last element is the finite form of topp m 'top, summit'. The name Gausta is probably a shortened form for *Gaustafjell (Gausta mountain), because Gausta originally was the name of a farm beneath the mountain. (For the same development see Dovre.) The Old Norse form of the name was maybe *Gautstǫð, the name is then a compound of gaut f 'flooded place', and stǫð f 'stead, landing place for boat'. (The farm lies at Rjukan river.)

Railway

Inside the mountain there is a railway (with an electric locomotive) that cost one million US dollars to build from 1954 to 1959.^[2] It was built to access the military radio station built on the top.