Ormelifossen

Ormelifossen is a tall but unusual waterfall found along the Grandfasta as it descends into Fortunsdalen just outside of Jotunheimen National Park. The falls drop a total of approximately 550 meters (about 1,800 feet) over a linear distance of 800-850 meters. The falls begin with a horsetail type drop of approximately 60 meters (200 feet) where the river breaks into the valley. A second nearly vertical fall of about 45 meters can be found about 250 linear meters downstream. Between these two vertical drops, and below the 45 meter drop, the remainder of the falls consists of steep cascades as the river tumbles down a long gully choked with boulders and skree, which is not a common occurrence for waterfalls in western Norway due to the naturally steep topography in the region. Typically cascades down a boulder field would not qualify to be considered part of the waterfall due to the lack of direct interaction with solid bedrock, however historical photographs that date back at least 100 years clearly label this feature as Ormelifossen, boulder cascades and all, so the historical precedent overrides the World Waterfall Database guidelines in this situation. The Grandfasta is a regulated stream, the majority of which is diverted in to a hydroelectric system at the dam which impounds Skålavatnet about 3 kilometers upstream from the top of the falls. The river's formerly considerable volume appears to have made the falls quite impressive in stature in the past, but due to the diversion only a small volume of water now flows down the cascades at best. Because of how the river interacts with the copious boulders found within the gully that the falls descend, the river might actually sink beneath the surface for portions of the falls, and this would seem more likely to occur during the later months of the year when the volume is further reduced.