- published: 03 Oct 2014
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The Scandinavian Mountains or the Scandes, in Swedish Skanderna, Fjällen ("the Fells") or Kölen (Fjällen being by far the most frequent name and virtually the only one in modern colloquial speech), in Finnish Köli and in Norwegian Kjølen, with the three latter meaning The Keel, are a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula. The Scandinavian Mountains are equivalent with the Scandinavian Caledonides. The western sides of the mountains drop precipitously into the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, forming the famous fjords of Norway, while to the northeast they gradually curve towards Finland. To the north they form the border between Norway and Sweden, still reaching 2,000 m high (6,600 ft) at the Arctic circle. The mountain range just touches northwesternmost Finland, but are scarcely more than hills at their northernmost extension at the North Cape.
The mountains are not very high, but are at places very steep; Galdhøpiggen in southern Norway is the highest peak, at 2,469 metres (8,100 ft), Kebnekaise has the highest peak on the Swedish side, at 2,104 m (6,903 ft), while Halti is the highest peak in Finland, at 1,324 m (4,344 ft). The combination of a northerly location and moisture from the North Atlantic ocean has caused the formation of many icefields and glaciers.
Kristian Valen (born 13 October 1974) is a comedian, actor, singer and songwriter originally from Stavanger, Norway. Known for comedic impressions, Valen has also pursued a serious music career; his pop music album Listen When Alone was released internationally in Europe and Asia. Valen was asked by Katherine Jackson to perform his hit song “Still Here” at the Jackson Family Foundation’s Forever Michael: A Celebration of an Icon, the one year Michael Jackson memorial show held in 2010 at Beverly Hilton Hotel the home of the Golden Globes in Los Angeles.
Son of Inge Valen (a football (soccer) player for the team Viking FK), Valen was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a famous sportsman. However, Valen left the world of football when he was 16 and wound up hosting a popular radio show in his native city of Stavanger, Norway. His quick wit and popular on-air impersonations led Valen to the world of comedy.[citation needed]
Valen has created several extremely successful live shows, including Fartøy Valen (SS Valen), Et Musikalsk Kaos (Musical Chaos), and Raskere enn sitt eget beste (Faster than His Own Good). The shows have to date net Valen an estimated US$40 million in ticket sales. His three hit TV series Valen TV, Valen & De and Valen`s Frokost TV aired on national Norwegian broadcaster TV Norge, and topped the ratings. TV Norge. He has been voted “Entertainer of the Year” by viewers of Norway’s TV2 and the “Årets TV-ansikt” (“This Year's TV-face”) by the readers of magazine Se & Hør (See & Hear).