The Sjoa is a river in Innlandet county, Norway. The 98-kilometre (61 mi) long river runs through the municipalities of Vågå and Sel and it provides the outlet from lake Gjende at Gjendesheim in the Jotunheimen mountains of Norway's Jotunheim National Park. The river flows eastward through the Sjodalen valley and Heidal valley into the Gudbrandsdalslågen river at the village of Sjoa.[1]
| Sjoa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) View of the river (2005) Credit: TaHan | |
  Location of the river  Sjoa (Norway) | |
| Location | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Innlandet |
| Municipalities | Vågå and Sel |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Gjende lake |
| • location | Gjendesheim, Vågå |
| • coordinates | 61°29′42″N 8°48′29″E / 61.4949763°N 8.8080739°E |
| • elevation | 985 metres (3,232 ft) |
| Mouth | Gudbrandsdalslågen |
• location | Sjoa, Sel |
• coordinates | 61°40′47″N 9°32′04″E / 61.67964345°N 9.53443765°E |
• elevation | 270 metres (890 ft) |
| Length | 98 km (61 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,527 km2 (590 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 34.4 m3/s (1,210 cu ft/s) |
South of the village of Randsverk, the river flows through Ridderspranget which is a ravine named after a Norwegian myth.
Rafting, kayaking and fishing
editThe river is used for kayaking, rafting and fishing. Thirteen deaths have occurred in the river, from 1989 to 2010. This includes four deaths involving a group of tourists in various inflatable "catarafts", on 24 July 2010 (a national newspaper claimed that at that time the level of the river was 10 centimetres (4 in) above a safe level for rafting).[2][3]
There are several companies offering rafting, kayaking, riverboarding and other activities in Sjoa and the surrounding area. Some parts of the river are impossible to raft.[citation needed] Some parts are blocked by large rocks which the river flows underneath. These areas are considered "death traps" by the local commercial rafting providers.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (20 January 2020). "Sjoa". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ "Four Ukrainiens Died in Rafting Accident". The Nordic Page.
- ^ Dagbladet, July 25, 2010 page 10
External links
edit- Sjoa Raftingsenter NWR Rafting and riverboarding in the Sjoa area.
- Heidal Rafting White Water River Adventures in the Sjoa River in Norway
- Sjoa Rafting White Water River Adventures in Norway.
- GoRafting.no White Water River Adventures in the Sjoa River
- Sjoafestivalen Festival in and by Sjoa
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