In Møre og Romsdal county, I would like to highlight five mountain regions
that have their individual
characteristics;
1) Sunnmørsalpene (Sykkylven, Ørsta,
Stranda) are defined by long and sharp mountain ridges. Some of the mountain
tops on these ridges require climbing. The most prominent ridges are found on
both sides of Hjørundfjorden - a "sanctuary" for the mountaineering pioneers in
Norway, and the generations to come.
Kolåstinden,
Slogen, and
Molladalstindane are
well known names to every Norwegian mountain enthusiast.
Peaks above Hjørundfjorden (and side fjords) seen from Saksa.
2) Romsdalsfjella (Rauma) are primarily located around Åndalsnes and
the Romsdalen valley. Although not among the highest in this region,
Romsdalshorn (picture to the left) has perhaps the most characteristic mountain
face in Møre og Romsdal county,
and I am not forgetting Slogen, Kolåstinden or Molladalstindane. In this region,
you will also find "Trollveggen", a notorious wall that offers
Europe's longest vertical drop (1000m+) and a haven for climbers. Basejumping is
forbidden here. This region offers also some of the very finest Norwegian
mountains for Telemark skiing. Kyrkjetaket,
for example, offers 1000m of straight-line descent, and
Finnan can be skied in July!
Trollveggen seen from
Blånebba
3) Among Tafjordfjella (Norddal/Rauma), you find Puttegga (1999m) - the highest
mountain in Møre og Romsdal. A number of other mountains in this region exceed
1800m and the area is considered "remote". While the majority of Sunnmørsalpene
and Romsdalen peaks can be done on day-hikes, people normally spend a night or
two in tents or in mountain huts, when visiting the high Tafjord mountains. This
area is better for cross-country skiing, as most of the area is high-country
terrain.
High-country mountains seen from Finnan above Romsdalen
4) You will find some large and
interesting mountains that define the Sunndalen and
Innerdalen valleys. Follow the Sunndalen valley, and it will
lead you to (a.o) Dovrefjell - one of three mountain regions in
Norway that has peaks exceeding 2000m elevation. In this region,
you will also find the highest mountains in Sunndal kommune.
Store
Trolla is a major mountain that faces both Sunndalen and
Innerdalen. Innerdalstårnet (left) is perhaps the most
characteristic peak in the region.
(Innerdalstårnet seen from Store Trolla. Photo
by Petter Bjørstad)
5) Let's use the city
Ålesund as the
common denominator for the coastal region stretching from Herøy
to Vestnes, also including Ålesund, Hareid, Ulstein, Giske,
Haram, Midsund, Skodje, Ørskog and Sula. This region has a large
number of interesting viewpoints, where the sea view brings in
the extra dimension. Blåskjerdingen (Haram),
Trolltinden and
Sprovstinden on Ørskogfjellet being a few of those viewpoint.
Coastal view from Blåskjerdingen
County statistics 1. The "high top"
municipalities.
Municipality/
Kommune |
Peaks
> 1000m |
Peaks
> 1500m |
Peaks, PF
> 600m |
Rauma |
135¹ |
71² |
16¹ |
Norddal |
98² |
75¹ |
7 |
Sunndal |
86³ |
60³ |
12³ |
Ørsta |
81 |
17 |
15² |
Stranda |
79 |
35 |
12³ |
Nesset |
72 |
39 |
8 |
Surnadal |
49 |
8 |
11 |
Sykkylven |
25 |
6 |
7 |
Rindal |
8 |
3 |
1 |
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County map
Click on image and then on the
municpalities |
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M&R mountain tops (by height)
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M&R mountain tops (by primary factor)
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M&R mountain tops (by map)
(Takes some time to load..) |
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westcoastpeaks |