Norwegian Mountains - Route Descriptions

Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal

Sandfjellet from Tresfjorden, Nov 18 2006

For Information, maps, trailhead and route descriptions, click HERE.

When I woke up this morning, STARVED for a new and higher top, I listened to the sounds outside. The winds were moving objects around outside, but it didn't seem to rain. I got up, and put my hiking clothes on. I let the dog out for his morning business, and - as I have Ørskogfjellet in clear view from my front door - concluded that the weather allowed for a higher top. I better not waste time, as I knew it would rain later in the day, and after a yoghurt, we were on our way to Sandfjellet.

Sandfjellet sort of came "out of the hat". This top was not certainly on my immediate "to-do list", but it qualified as a "hit and run" top. I expected the wind to be quite hostile above 1000m, and if that was the case, I wanted to get off the mountain as soon as possible.

I drove to Tresfjord, only stopping for extended breakfast at the gas station in Sjøholt, and was ready to hike 11:10AM. My dog "Troll" managed to seem enthusiastic until 400m elevation, but then he applied for the backpack. According to the map, the tractor road I was on (only marked as a path on the map), seemingly went to Syltesætra. That would be a detour, so when I noticed a path marked "N", I got on it. A few minutes later, I was standing in front of Nordigardsætra, and I realised there was no more path.

The snow began at Nordigardsætra. Rotten, rotten snow that consumed all the energy I had. As I was struggling with a light touch of the flu (aching back, etc.), the hike became VERY strenuous. LUCKILY - the last thing I did before leaving the car, was to attach a pair of snowshoes to my backpack. One never knows. They became highly convenient up birch forest.

At approx. 700m elevation, the forest ended and the mountain began. The winds were just as expected - not very strong, but very cold. I figured Troll would be better off on the ground, and he willingly followed me upwards. The wind-blown snow was very hard, and I concluded that snowshoes was the best choice for the day. Skiing down here would have been no fun. I didn't really need snowshoes up here, but I didn't bother taking them off.

We reached the top 13:00PM, which was ahead of plan. I found no shelter for Troll, and put him in the backpack, wrapped in a HUGE fleeze blanket that I had brought along. Then I took my picures, before I felt the need to get OFF this mountain. Any previous plans of visiting Hoemstinden were immediately dropped. Shitty weather was on the way, and it started to snow.

Descending on snowshoes can get you down fast, if you learn the right technique. After a few -soaking my face in the snow- experiences, I was able to shift the weight on my heels. Then I was able to descend fairly quickly, and was back at the trailhead 13:54PM, about 45 minutes after leaving the summit. The snowfall had ceased, and there was still blue sky above the Tresfjorden region when I left it. I assumed it didn't last long, beacuse it was raining back in Ålesund, just a couple of hours after getting home.