Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal
Fingeren (failed attempt) & Sætreegga, July 2 2011,
Fingeren (successful attempt), Sep 1 2011,
Fingeren (successful attempt), Sep 18 2011
To the main Kolåstinden & Fingeren page (maps, route descriptions, other trip reports, etc.)
Fingeren
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July 2 2011 - The first attempt...
The Sunnmøre mountain bible "Fotturar på Sunnmøre" says about Fingeren;
"...Sjølv om nokre likar tausikring, er klyvinga enkel frå skaret og opp nordsida på Fingeren".
OK, so some would prefer a rope. But the scrambling is supposedly easy enough. Good - so based on everything I've read and everything I've heard, Fingeren should be easy street for a mountain guy like me. The peak was practically in the bag already - I just had to pick a day to actually go there...
July 2 2011 was the day. The weather wasn't bad at all when I parked at Standalhytta, and the only "problem" was that Fingeren was hidden in fog. Heck, it wasn't even a real problem. Of course I would locate it somewhere up there, and since the scrambling was easy, I didn't even care if the rock was wet. There were just no boundaries for me that day...
Above the fog
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The initial scrambling went very well, and I was indeed on easy street. But 10 meters below the summit, I was standing in front of a wall that didn't have an apparent entry point. In fact, I could imagine several ascent routes - all seemingly difficult upon descent. And if it was one thing I've learned through my short mountaineering career - it is to not get stuck - again...
My further negotiations with Fingeren stranded, and I left the rock in full defeat. As a small compensation, I traversed Sætreegga and did at least walk away with one new mountain top. Sætreegga wasn't totally lacking nerve, especially when moving from the snow to the mountain proper. If the snow tongue had collapsed, I could have been in serious trouble - caught below the ice and a hard place...
Leaving Fingeren
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Sep 1 2011 - Redeeming myself...
Enough already!! I had just turned around below Stabben summit in Skorgedalen and now I had two recent defeats. This was simply not tolerable and I had to seriously work on my psyche...
On Aug 31 2011, I went back to Skorgedalen and reached the top of Stabben, not quite understanding what stopped me 4 days earlier. The psyche was clearly good now, so Fingeren could expect a visit the very next day...
Fingeren - Sep 1 2011
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The transport route up the Fingeren entry point seemed longer than on my first visit. No wonder, eager to get up as I was. Now that I had a backpack with enough gear to get myself down, there was no hesitation. After a quick scramble, Fingeren was now officially "in the bag"...
This was clearly one of the hardest Sunnmøre tops I've done, and I remember comparing it with Hundatinden in Sykkylven.
Fingeren - Sep 1 2011
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Sep 18 2011 - The 3rd trip...
I really, really wanted to take Anne up to this fine peak, and the day after coming home from Crete, we took the trip to Ørsta and Standaleidet. We headed out 10:30am from Standalhytta, and kept a good pace up the mountain. The Ørsta Red Cross was out on a training mission, and we asked if we interfered. We weren't and we were also told that this would be the perfect day to be in need for help...
My biggest concern was the fresh snow that we saw from the airplane the day before. Most of it had melted during the night, and from Standaleidet, we couldn't see any snow left on Fingeren. But if there was only a little left, it could be a factor that we would have to deal with. And sure enough; at approx. 1050 meters, we were leaving footprints in the snow.
On the way to Fingeren
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The main idea was to scramble Fingeren without using a rope, but we had brought one in case there would be a need for it. The first scrambling section went fine, but when we got to slab section that I personally find quite nasty, I decided to make a handrail out of the rope. It wasn't really necessary, but on the other hand, it's good to practice on techniques (and knots) from time to time.
Across the slabs
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Above the slabs, we were now facing the final - and most severe scrambling/climbing section. The sun had melted away all of the snow here, so we could climb on dry rock. We had a mighty good time up on the mountain and reached the summit 1:04pm - 2h:34m after heading out. Anne was high as a kite - almost reaching the same euphoric level as I did 18 days earlier...
On top of Fingeren
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The descent from Fingeren went fine. I was a bit annoyed with myself for putting out the rope, but OK. There were now people "all over the place". Nine including Anne and me. Two had taken a different route and we didn't see them until we were below Fingeren and they were on the top. Two others had stopped for a rest a bit closer to Kolåstinden and we met a couple below Fingeren, whom we talked with for a good while. They were a bit "overwhelmed" by Fingeren's appearance and decided to come back another day.
We then parted with the couple and returned to Standalhytta. We were back at the car 3pm and continued towards Åmsnipa (527m) in Bondalen. And after Åmsnipa, we went on a 7km canoe trip outside Gurskøya. It was a beautiful day, and we wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.
Descending Fingeren
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