Norwegian Mountains

Ådni, 1102m (Odni)
Ådni N., 1069m

Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Kvam
Maps : 1215-I Norheimsund (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : Ådni: 104m
Primary factor : Ådni N.: 96m
Hiked : Oct 2004
See also : Gråtindane
See also : Fuglafjellet
See also : Skrott
See also : Kjetilsnuten
Aadni seen from Graatindane

Ådni seen from Gråtindane

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Introduction

Above Vossadalen valley and tucked away between the dominating Fuglafjellet and Skrott massifs, you will find Ådni. The Fugladalen and Vossadalen valleys with the surrounding mountains form a dramatic landscape where the visitors feel small and humble. Right through this rough and unfriendly terrain, an amazing trail runs, connecting Bergsdalen and Hamlagrø with Fitjadalen, Øystese and Hardangerfjorden. Even through the long boulder fields, the path is even and easily traveled.

To clear up any name confusion - there are more than one Vossadalen valley. In addition to this one, Vossedalen/Vossadalen valley runs south of Evanger. On this page, you will read about lake Fugladalsvatnet. There are actually two lakes with the same name. I have added the lake elevation to distinguish between the two.

For simplification, I have assigned the names Ådni N (M711: 1070m), and Ådni S (M711: 1098m) to the two humps north and south of Ådni M711: 1103m. On the M711 map, "Ådni" is found above point 1098m. On the Økonomisk Kartver map, "Odni" is given as name for both point 1070m and 1103m. I find it therefore natural to conclude that Ådni consist of three distinct tops.

The name Ådni (Odni on the older maps from Økonomisk Kartverk) means "eagle", derived from old Norse "orn" (thanks to Liv Nygård for sending me this information). The name matches well other short and consise names in this region, like Skrott and Glynt. Deviations from traditional names such as Blåfjellet (blue mountain), Gråfjellet (grey mountain), Storfjellet (big mountain), are highly welcome.

There are three possible access routes to Ådni; across Gråtindane, via Fugladalen in the north or via Fuglafjellet. Neither of these routes are family hikes, but should all fit the eager walker, common with Traveling in the rough country.

Primary factor:

Heights found on Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours) have been chosen over the M711 heights.

Ådni (M711: 1103m, Ø.K: 1101,5m ~ 1102m) has a primary factor of 104m towards the higher Fuglafjellet (1334m). The saddle is found east of Ådni S. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours), you cross the 1000m contours on the high route, but not 995m. The saddle height is interpolated to 998m.

Ådni N. (M711: 1070m, Ø.K: 1069m) has a primary factor of 96m towards the higher Ådni (1102m). The saddle is found between the two tops. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours), you cross the 975m contours on the high route, but not 970m. The saddle height is interpolated to 973m. Because I have a 100m primary factor criterion on this web-site, Ådni N. is not on the list of independent Hordaland mountains. However, lacking only 3m, I find it natural the describe the top.

Trail descriptions:

Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.

The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.

Fitjadalen - Vossadalen - Ådni (summer/autumn)

Difficulty : Class 2+
Exposure : Vague exposure on Ådni
Comments : Mixed trail/off-trail
Distance : Approx. 9Km to Ådni
Time : Approx. 3-4 hours to Ådni (w/o pause)
Starting Elev.: Approx. 270m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 1100m (total)

Map of the area
Map of the area
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Detailed map
Detailed map
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Access

From Bergen, follow highway E16/RV7 towards Oslo. At the Trengereid junction, turn right onto highway 7. Follow highway 7 all the way to Nordheimsund by Hardangerfjorden. Continue northeast towards Øystese and turn left in the roundabout ("Sjusete/Soldal") Follow signs towards "Sjusete". In the Skårdalsvegen/Sjusetevegen junction, do not exit left towards Sjusete, but continue straight ahead. Further up, follow sign towards Fitjadalen. Follow this road until road end at lake Fitjadalsvatnet. The distance is approx. 6,2Km from the roundabout in Øystese to the parking at lake Fitjadalsvatnet.

The route

Follow the gravel road towards Vossadalen. The gravel road extends well beyond the last cabin and ends at a bridge by Botnane. Continue on the forest trail for a few minutes until you reach a bridge. The trail across the river runs towards Eivindsete. Stick to the trail you are on.

When the trail turns from northwest to west by the stream from Honskusdalen, you might see an unsigned trailfork. Follow the trail to the left, as the trail to the right will take you up to Honskusdalen. Follow the trail you are on until you reach a bridge where Vossadalen opens up. There is another trail sign here. Follow signs to "Fugladalen" and a path along the stream from lake Vossdalsvatnet.

The path turns into a cairn trail (small cairns!) across the boulder that will take you to lake Vossadalsvatnet. Infact, another trail runs on the north side of the stream from Vossadalsvatnet. Here is a possibility for variation upon your return.

From lake Vossadalsvatnet, follow a well built trail on the west side of the lake. Follow this trail to the northwest end of the lake, ascend to 780m elevation and set your eyes on a distinct boulderfield up to your left that will take you up the mountain. Most likely, people continue further north before ascending, but this boulderfield is quite doable. It is steep, so avoid falling. You will not fall off the mountain, and it is not directly exposed, but you'll understand when you get there. Getting past huge rocks in order to the foot of the hillside require clever planning...

Once on top of this boulderfield, you have Ådni N. up to your left. Continue southwest until you see lake Fugladalsvatnet (942m). Then turn left and walk up the ridge to the top of Ådni N. From this top, you have a serious drop between yourself and the plateau below the main summit. Study the main summit and settle for an ascent route up here. Preferrably on the left hand side. In order to get down to the plateau, seek right. A series of cliffbands will safely bring you down.

Cross the plateau and follow a path that you determined on Ådni N. Your route probably involves switchbacking up the mountain, between left and center. If you are in doubt, seek further left and see if a better alternative presents itself. This is class 2+ (YDS) terrain. When the mountain is icy, perhaps class 3. Ådni summit is marked by a standing rock. Descend your ascent route.

Trip Report Oct 30 2004

I had attempted Ådni twice before, both times via Gråtindane. Now, Ådni was the only serious mountain left to do in a large region between highway E16 in the north and Tysnes in the south. As the weather forecast this Saturday was promising, I decided to do Ådni once and for all. Even though Ådni is "right there" above Fitjadalen, settling on the route was not easy. I had been thinking about going from Steinkvanndalen (across Fuglafjellet), from Hamlagrø via Fugladalen and via Gråtindane. My choice finally fell on Fitjadalen and then via Fugladalen.

I had always, for some hard-to-describe reason, assumed the hike to Ådni would be tough. How tough it turned out to be, was difficult to imagine. It started already by only 2 hours of sleep Thursday night (not a party!). On Friday, I returned back to Bergen after spending a few days up north. A bit tired, I went to work, collected the dog from the kennel, before going up to Mt. Ulriken in the afternoon. The evening was promised to a friend in need of computer assistance. This assistance lasted until 04:00AM Saturday morning, and I was only able to grab a couple of hours before getting up 07:30AM.

After shopping for breakfast, I decided to change tires on the car. The night had been cold, and the road was icy. After having swapped 3 tires, the 4th wouldn't come off. We've all been there, haven't we? A neighbour eventually came to rescue, and at last I was able to leave for Ådni. The trip to Fitjadalen would at least take 1,5 hours, and I started to count hours to make sure I was able to get down from the mountains before sunset.

11:45AM, I was on my way from the trailhead at Fitjadalen. Troll was kind enough to walk, but when we arrived the Eivindsete/Fugladalen trail junction, I put him in the backpack. While heading up the valley, I tried to understand how come I was able to forget both food, water and map. I had remembered to bring along the lunch-box for the dog, but completely ignored personal needs. Water is normally plentiful in these mountains, so that was not a worry. I thought I understood the area well, avoiding the need for a map. Regarding food - I've done 6-7 hour hikes without food before, so that wasn't a particular worry either.

We had good progress up the valley, all the way to lake Vossadalsvatnet. I was eager to get onto the mountain, so halfway along the lake, I started to ascend up a boulderfield which I hoped would take me where I wanted to go. This route led nowhere. A potential scramble opportunity was blocked due to ice, and I had the option to stay high in the boulder above the lake or return down to the trail. I chose to stay high, and managed to run my knee into a rock. I screamed in agony and got sick. After a few minutes, I examined the knee. It had the color of an orange, and was bleeding from a hole in the middle. I concluded that the knee was painful, but functional. I decided to move on.

At the north end of the lake, I found another boulderfield that looked very promising. It was steep and partly icy, and I had to be a bit careful while ascending. On the way up, I felt the knee turn stiff. I didn't want to turn around at this point, especially when my goal for the day was right above me. 14:25PM, I reached the summit of Ådni N., believing it was the main summit. I screamed out in d i s a p p o i n t m e n t when I realized that this was a false summit. More, Ådni looked mighty steep, and furthermore, it looked impossible to descend down to the plateau between the two mountains.

After checking time vs. sunset, I decided to find a route down from Ådni N. The knee was becoming more painful, and I was now in limping mode. Getting down from Ådni N. turned out to be quite easy, and ascending Ådni was easier than I had feared. Due to ice, some easy scrambling was needed, but 14:55PM, I was on top of Ådni. Before I started this hike, I had a vague hope about returning across Gråtindane, but when I got this route in view, I decided to return the same way I came up. After a round of pictures, I left Ådni 15:10PM.

The knee prevented normal walking, and I had to develop a new technique in order to get down from the mountain. As the knee didn't bend, this technique involved jumping down particular steep sections, landing on the good foot. After 5 minutes of descent down from Ådni, one of these moves went bad. I fell and glissaded for a few meters. The dog got away from this event with only a potential scare, but my knee condition was not improved. It became more and more clear that I had some strenuous hours ahead of me. When I reached the steep boulderfield above Vossadalen, every jump on the good foot required planning. It was a strenuous endeavour, and when I reached the really large rocks at the bottom, I struggled to find a way out.

The ice-axe functioned well as a cruch on my way down Vossadalen. Taking pauses was incredibly tempting, but sunset was in progress and I wanted to be back at the car before dark. Even though the long walk back to the car was incredibly painful, I was still overwhelmed about the fantastic landscape and the fact that Ådni was finally in the bag. The long drive back to Bergen would be nothing but good. Troll walked on his own just after the boulder in Vossadalen, which helped a great deal. We were back at the car 18:10PM, and only 15 minutes later, darkness came creeping in. A good day in the mountains, all in all, even though tomorrow's hike definitely had to be cancelled.

Pictures from the Oct 30 2004 hike

Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.

1. Lake Fitjadalsvatnet (82KB) 2. Aadni comes into view (95KB) 3. On the way to Vossadalen (136KB) 4. A tempting route (141KB) 5. In Vossadalen (216KB) 6. Towards lake Vossadalsvatnet (147KB) 7. Eivindsete (103KB) 8. Lake Vossadalsvatnet (161KB) 9. Lake Vossadalsvatnet (175KB) 10. Steep cliffs (119KB) 11. Lake Vossadalsvatnet (173KB) 12. Broken mountain (104KB) 13. Broken mountain (201KB) 14. Broken mountain (111KB) 15. Ascent route (128KB) 16. View from below Aadni N. (345KB) 17. Below Aadni N. (197KB) 18. Below Fuglafjellet (308KB) 19. Lake Fossavatnet (184KB) 20. Ovre Fugladalen (183KB) 21. Aadni seen from Aadni N. (298KB) 22. Aadni seen from the plateau below (219KB) 23. Aadni N. south cliffs (195KB) 24. North view from Aadni (380KB) 25. Ovre Fugladalen seen from Aadni (377KB) 26. Close-up of Folgefonnhalvoya mountains from Aadni (451KB) 27. Geitafjellet and Skrott seen from Aadni (359KB) 28. Torefjellet and Graatindane seen from Aadni (294KB) 29. Fotasperrnuten seen from Aadni (115KB) 30. Storeflaatten seen from Aadni (158KB) 31. Rosendal alps seen from Aadni (111KB) 32. Troll on Aadni (150KB) 33. Steep descent from Aadni N. (377KB) 34. Routefinding among large rocks (168KB)

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Pictures from other hikes:

1. Aadni route seen from Geitafjellet (184KB) 2. Oystese mountains seen on the way down from Folgefonna N (247KB) 3. Kringdalsnipa summit views (zoom) (836KB)

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