Norwegian Mountains, Sogn og Fjordane
Bondehaug (723m), Jan 17 2010
To the main Bondehaug page (maps, route descriptions, other trip reports, etc.)
Bondehaug seen from Molden
(Click for larger image)
After a very nice, but still strenuous ski-trip to Kjeringi the day before, I wanted an easy trip to a lower mountain in close proximity to Sogndal. The choice fell on Bondehaug - demanding only a 220m vertical gain from a trailhead I already knew after visiting Molden in December last year. My companion was Anne Rudsengen, and given all the mountains she has been to in this region, it was nice that we found a mountain that she hadn't been to before.
Having a number of possible routes to choose between, we settled for a route from the Molden trailhead. We followed ski-tracks on the forest road towards Vetleskog until the road forked. We then turned left and broke trail up another forest road. The road ended approx. 100 vertical meters below the high point and the off-trail section up to the top can not be classified as nice skiing terrain. Nevertheless, it was fun and we enjoyed ourselves. We reached the high point 1:37pm - 1h:07m after heading out. Loke, my new hiking mate, was tired from the ride in the backpack and celebrated Bondehaug with a good nap...
Loke - taking a nap on Bondehaug
(Click for larger image)
We agreed to explore the forest a little further, and skied over to a viewpoint that we noticed on our way up. This viewpoint was signposted "Bondehaug 723m", which is - to put it mildly - misleading. The viewpoint was approx. 705m and located 240m east/northeast of the high point. Agreed, the views from this point was much better, but still...
Bondehaug viewpoint with a misleading signpost
(Click for larger image)
From the viewpoint, I decided to take a route directly down, which led to - if I may be so bold - a quite spectacular fall. Anne had a big smile on her face when she noticed my "tracks"...
Falling off the Bondehaug viewpoint
(Click for larger image)
We skied down back to the forest road we ascended and returned to the trailhead 2:41pm - 2h:11m after heading out. The "Farmer's hill" was a very nice acquaintance and I grow more and more fond of the Sogn og Fjordane hills and mountains. I returned to Sunnmøre the next day on a bus, and had nice views along the way...
Litletoren
(Click for larger image)
