Sjoa

The Sjoa above Heidal

Sjoa is a well-watered wild river in Norway Oppland. He begins his run at the east end of the Gjendesees at Gjendesheim in the Jotunheimen National Park and flows from there to the north- east. It crosses while the scenic mountain valley Sjoadalen before it opens later in the Lågen.

The name comes from the Old Norse word Sjoa hjár that the ... that means glitters.

The Sjoa flows through a gorge south of the village Randsverk, as Ridderspranget ( " knight jump" ) is known. According to the legend of the Knights Sigvat Heifer was able to escape his pursuers for a bride kidnapping by at this point he jumped with his horse over the about three meters wide gap and the later ones pursuers came into the gorge.

The river was protected in 1973 by a Stortingbeschluss permanently from the use of hydropower.

Sports

The last few kilometers of the river course through the Heidalen provide a very popular kayaking and Raftgewässer represents the Sjoa has thereby different levels of difficulty, mostly III to IV, the so-called breakthrough - the confluence with the Lågen - is the most difficult ( navigable ) body and is with classified IV-V. The Sjoa is considered the most popular whitewater river in Norway.