Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal
Up the north side, Apr 27 2009
To the main Haddalshornet page (maps, route descriptions, other trip reports, etc.)
The north side routes
(Click for larger image)
Until today, I had never ascended Haddalshornet via the north ridge. A distinct gully had tempted me for a long time, although I knew that the actual gully would be a dead-end higher up. Thus, I would have to continue up the ridge left of the gully, and from a distance, this ridge seemed to have one very steep section. The only way to know for sure, is to go and have a look, and that's what I did on this Monday afternoon.
Dead hare found by the trail..
(Click for larger image)
The gully section was easy enough - some scrambling, but without any exposure. I never attempted the upper part of the gully, and moved onto the ridge to my left. It didn't take long before I realised I had to focus strongly. But that was just the initial feeling. After spending some time looking for the best route, I became fairly acclimatized. One ledge was only moderately fun, as I had to completely rely on the axe in order to get up...
100 vertical meters below the top, the ridge became very steep, no longer offering alternatives that didn't imply too much risk. A snowy gully to my left seemed like the only option, but without crampons and with only one axe, I didn't feel comfortable. The snow was only partly soft, and I didn't want to put myself in a situation where I ran into hard snow halfway up the gully. If I had brought crampons (and why on earth didn't I bring them?), this gully would have been straightforward. I made my decision and headed back down.
Where my 1st attempt ended
(Click for larger image)
But I still wasn't through with the north side. I continued 180m to the east and scrambled up a steep, but easy section, and then got to a part which wasn't steep at all. I headed for the snowy gully I had just abandoned, and had to cross a couple of exposed snowfields along the way. Once above the gully, I continued up the ridge that I was on a bit earlier. The final section to the top wasn't difficult at all, and 90 minutes after leaving Haddal, I was on top of Haddalshornet.
In lack of better things to do, I decided to repeat my successful "flying axe" shot from Roppehornet. But this time I was highly unsuccessful, as the axe landed on my shoulder, and then bounced into my arm. This was beyond "ouch", and I figured it was only fair that I called myself a half-wit for the rest of the day..
Flying axe mis-hap
(Click for larger image)
I chose to descend along my normal route down the west side, a fun route I've been doing throughout the winter. But this route is certainly more fun with snow than without snow...
The round trip
(Click for larger image)
