Sarp Falls ( or ') is a waterfall at

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsbor ...

Østfold Østfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is the second largest waterfall in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

by discharge, after the

Rhine Falls The Rhine Falls ( / Swiss German: , a singular noun) is a waterfall on the High Rhine in Switzerland. It is the most powerful waterfall in Europe and a popular tourist attraction. The falls are located on the border between the cantons of S ...

. This is the last waterfall on the

Glomma The Glomma or Glåma is Norway's longest and most voluminous river. With a total length of , it has a drainage basin that covers 13% of Norway's surface area, all in the southern part of the country. Geography At its fullest length, the river r ...

River, which is the longest river in

. Sarp Falls has one of the greatest flows of any waterfall in Europe. Both

and Dettifoss are larger and more powerful waterfalls in Europe but, while those waterfalls have between of average water flow, Sarp Falls has approximately . Just above Sarp Falls is a road bridge with a vista point. There are also vista points on the east side of the falls.

River surfing

Sarpebølgen (lit. ''the Sarp Wave'') lies about 2-3 kilometers downstream from the Sarp Falls, and is popular among kayakers and experienced surfers. The Norwegian Cup in Freestyle Paddling has been arranged here. The wave is spectacular, since it is quite big in regards to

river surfing River surfing is the sport of surfing either standing waves, tidal bores or upstream waves in rivers. Claims for its origins include a 1955 ride of along the tidal bore of the River Severn. River surfing on standing waves has been documente ...

. Experienced surfers have warned beginners from trying the wave, since there are strong currents which means one can easily be dragged far downstream. The wave appears when the flow rate is above 800-900 m³/s. It is said that the wave is well suited for surfing on a surfboard at a flow rate from 1250 m³/s and up, and very well at around 1700 m³/s. Glommens og Laagens Brukseierforening provide freely available flow measurements of the river flow online.Glommens og Laagens Brukseierforening - Sarpsfoss - Vannføring
/ref> ;Average water flow and temperature

References

{{Reflist Sarpsborg Landforms of Østfold River surfing Waterfalls of Norway

River surfing

See also

References