Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal

Veten/Hidsegga via Flådalen, Mar 19 2009


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The route from Hidsneset

The route from Hidsneset
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The story behind this hike is this; I drove past Hidsneset for the first time on March 5 2009. I was very surprised when I looked up the mountain. This was seriously cool and steep terrain! I didn't know that Hidsegga has mountainsides like this! On March 10, I came back, intending to become familiar with it. But I chickened out before I even got started, and hiked Hidsegga on the normal route from Hide. On Mar 19, I returned with the same intention. Again, I chickened out, but this time I only drove 300m before I changed my mind and returned to the scene.

 

View from Hidsneset

View from Hidsneset
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The new deal was just to see how far I could get. "Points of no return" would not be crossed. My only technical aid was an ice-axe, and I decided to play this one safe. I headed out, and followed a small ridge which led me into a couloir. The couloir had better shift direction, or there was no way I would get up. It did, and I was now into what I would like to call a steep and narrow valley.

The couloir wasn't intimidating, but the slippery grass was. While it was quite easy to ascend, I dreaded a potential descent. There was just no way I could simply walk back down. A fall would quickly send me to the bottom of the couloir, and I wouldn't have any say in the matter. I've never practiced self-arrest on grass before. Perhaps it works, but I wasn't mentally prepared to learn...

I gladly admit that I seriously respected this terrain, but it never ran into any problems. When I topped out on a ridge and got the rest of the route in view, I knew that I was home free. That was a good moment.

View down the couloir

View down the couloir
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I reached the top of Veten/Hidsegga 6:40pm, 1h:02m after leaving the trailhead. The vertical ascent was approx. 550m over a distance of 1,5km. I planned to descend the path I descended on Mar 10; along the west ridge, and then down to the forest road from Hide. But I discovered a new path that took me directly down to the forest road. After a number of short-cuts, I ended up in someone's backyard, with a woman in it. I assume she was taken by surprise when this stranger greeted her with an ice-axe, but it didn't show. I asked her if the couloir I had ascended had a name. "Probably", she said, and forwarded me to another house.

I decided to pick up the car first, and was back at the trailhead 7:31pm. It was dark by now, and I drove up to the house the woman had pointed out. I then had a nice chat with a guy who visits Hidsegga 5 times a week. He told me that the couloir I had ascended was called Flådalen, and gave me "extra credit" for having done the route.

Having aquired new and important information, I left Hide (the place) and headed towards Huldrehornet for some nice, after-dark scrambling..

Goodnight..

Goodnight..
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Pictures

The pictures were taken with a Canon EOS 450D + Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS USM F 4-5.6

 
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To Veten/Hidsegga

0B. Route profile 0B. Route profile 1. Dollsteinen on Sandsøya 2. On the way upwards 3. The trailhead 4. Approaching the couloir 5. Wondering what is ahead 6. View down 7. Up the couloir - or the narrow valley 8. Rock features 9. View down the couloir 10. On a ridge 11. The sun is setting 12. The route up to the plateau 13. Road view 14. View down the couloir 15. The sun is still setting 16. On Veten/Hidsegga

On Veten/Hidsegga + descent

17. Storebøra 18. Leinehornet 19. Herøy tops 20. Skorpesundet 21. Sunset 22. Sunset is over. This is the last light.

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