| Sjoa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) View of the river (2005) Credit: TaHan | |
  Location of the river Show map of Innlandet Sjoa (Norway) Show map of Norway | |
| Location | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Innlandet |
| Municipalities | Vågå andSel |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Gjende lake |
| • location | Gjendesheim,Vågå |
| • coordinates | 61°29′42″N8°48′29″E / 61.4949763°N 8.8080739°E /61.4949763; 8.8080739 |
| • elevation | 985 metres (3,232 ft) |
| Mouth | Gudbrandsdalslågen |
• location | Sjoa,Sel |
• coordinates | 61°40′47″N9°32′04″E / 61.67964345°N 9.53443765°E /61.67964345; 9.53443765 |
• 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) |
TheSjoa is ariver inInnlandet county,Norway. The 98-kilometre (61 mi) long river runs through the municipalities ofVågå andSel and it provides the outlet from lakeGjende at Gjendesheim in theJotunheimen mountains ofNorway'sJotunheim National Park. The river flows eastward through theSjodalen valley andHeidal valley into theGudbrandsdalslågen river at thevillage of Sjoa.[1]
South of the village of Randsverk, the river flows throughRidderspranget which is aravine named after a Norwegian myth.
The 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 variousinflatable "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]
