Norwegian Mountains - Route Descriptions

Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal

Grøtshornet from Eidet, Jan 14 2006

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The weather forecast promised rain and winds this Saturday, and I wasn't quite sure what to do and where to go. I'm blessed with having a direct view towards Blåskjerdingen from my kitchen window, and can quickly decide if high mountains are out of the question. The weather was gloomy, but I could see Blåskjerdingen in full. I expected it to be quite windy on the tops and settled for Grøtshornet (which I also can seen from my window) - midbetween low and high in terms of elevation for this region.

I left the skis back home. A decision that did not involve any kind of risk. January got warmer by the day (10 deg. C. when I left home - the same temperature as in Bordeaux and Malaga) and it hadn't been snowing since I moved to Ålesund in late December. After driving up to the Vatne district, the GPS led me safely to the trailhead and by 09:40AM, I was on my way up the forest road with my dog "Troll" in the backpack.

While the higher part of the mountain would turn out to be windy, (almost) snow-free and dry, the forest was quite the opposite; sheltered, snowy and wet. I lost the path at the wetlands, but found it again a bit higher up. The path led me to an old ruin, and from here on I continued westbound. I was clearly on a path, but the red sticks in the trees had disappeared. I headed off-trail up the forest and regained the path a bit higher up. The path was confusing, as it seemed to run here and there. After a while, I realised that there was an old a new path. It didn't matter where I went, since I gradually gained altitude.

The summit ridge was a very windy spot. I guessed that the wind-speed was approx. 18-20m/s. Not strong enough to influence my balance, but strong enough to force me to secure the loose ends of the backpack. I let Troll out, as there was hardly any snow on the ridge, and he seemed to be glad to be on the ground.

We reached the summit 11:30AM, and a great but hazy/cloudy panorama opened up in front of me. The bad weather was moving up from the southwest and I could see that it was raining in Ålesund. So far, I hadn't felt a drop of rain. Rule #1 when the forecast promise shitty weather is to get up EARLY. Sometimes, you can do some good before the rain hits you. Troll hid behind the summit cairn while I tried to get some pictures. He stood there still, shivering, and probably praying the the photo session would end soon.

The descent was much easier than the ascent, in every possible way. Not only was I able to follow the path all the way back to the car, but the snow that pulled the energy out of my body upon ascent, allowed me to keep a good pace down the ridge and the forest. 12:50PM, we were back at the car and just as I closed the door, it started to rain.