Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal
Haddalshornet, Dec 24 2008
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The ascent route
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As I can see Haddalshornet through my window every day, I've grown interested in taking a closer look at the west ridge. On Dec 24 (also known as Christmas Eve) I decided to make the trip. I drove up to the Klungsdalen trailhead at Haddal, called a colleague who lives at Haddal, and got useful info on how to get started.
I followed the Klungsdalen path for 100m, and turned right just after the gate. I followed a (little used) path towards the power masts, then followed a better path up to the antenna on Hammaren (225m). The path continued up the west ridge, but I lost it before reaching 400m elevation. It was quite easy to keep a steady pace up this ridge, and I reached Haddalshornet summit 1:13pm, exactly 1 hour after leaving the trailhead. The vertical gain was approx. 540m.
Haddal
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It wasn't a great weather day, but OK. I had forgotten my gloves, but I wasn't in need of any. I was considering visiting Blåtind also, but decided to go home and plan Christmas dinner. Like for the last 6 years, I would spoil myself rotten with Norway's best selling pizza, with extra sausage and cheese. Yum. The six-pack was already in the fridge, so I was all set up. I hummed a merry ring dingeling-ding while heading down the southeast ridge.
The plan was to descend my July 6 2006 ascent route. The gully I was about to descend looked very scary from above, but once in it, things looked better. But if the snow had been icy, I would have not descended here. The disadvantage of the soft snow were the potential leg-breaker holes. I went into a really deep one, but as I was prepared for them, it ended OK. Once into Klungsdalen, I followed the path back to the trailhead. The time was 1:57pm when I returned to the car. The whole trip took 1h:45m.
While passing a gate just above the trailhead, two of my fingers got stuck in a rusty barbed wire, and it just wouldn't stop bleeding. I rinsed my fingers in the creek, and got paper tissues and band aid at the nearest house. They seemed quite puzzled about this stranger popping up on their door step on Christmas Eve. With an ice-axe in one hand and blood all over the other.
Christmas light
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Merry Christmas, folks!
