Norwegian Mountains

Veten (Korsnes), 172m

Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Bergen
Maps : 1115-II Austevoll (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : 159m
Hiked : Mar 2005
See also : Fanafjellet
Veten seen from Ulriken

Veten seen from Ulriken

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Introduction

Korsnes is a peninsula in the southwest outskirts of Bergen kommune, located between Korsfjorden, Fanafjorden and Lysefjorden. A very characteristic feature of this peninsula is the number of steep and unfriendly cliffs. Nevertheless, Korsnes is a popular recreation area, and the trails are marked well. No signposts reveal that there are good trails here, so for the most part, this area is used by the locals.

There are also some good views in store for those who make it to the top of Korsnes' highest cliff - Veten. The picture above shows that Veten is easy to spot from Ulriken in Bergen. Unfortunately, I visited Veten during a massive snowfall, and need to come back to document what can be seen from up here.

Primary factor:

Veten (M711: 172m, Ø.K: highest contour is 170m) has a primary factor of 159m towards the higher Fanafjellet. The saddle is found N of Eidsvågen, where the peninsula connects to the mainland. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk map (5m contours), you cross the 15m contours on the high route, but not 10m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 13m. For a top of this modest elevation, the primary factor is substantial.

Trail descriptions:

Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.

The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.

Korsnes trailhead - Veten (all seasons)

Difficulty : Class 1
Exposure : None
Comments : Family hike
Distance : 1,5Km to the top
Time : Approx. 30-45 minutes
Starting Elev.: 60m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 110m

Map of the area
Map of the area
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Detailed map
Detailed map
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Access

From Bergen, follow highway 580 towards Flesland. Just after Lagunen shopping mall, turn left onto highway 546 towards Krokeide. Follow this road for 9,4Km (remember to turn sharp right just before Fana Kirke (church)) You're now at the harbor where the ferry to Austevoll runs. Turn right towards Korsnes. Follow this road for 350m. You're now in a Y junction (Krokeidesenteret) Turn right and follow this road approx. 1.9Km until you see a parking area on your right. The road through the Korsnes forest is narrow. Drive carefully in winter.

The route

From the parking, follow a forest road (blocked by gate) northbound for approx. 900m. Turn left onto a forest path marked by red ribbons. The path runs westbound until you're at the foothills of the Veten summit ridge. The path then turns northbound. A red/white marker denotes Veten summit. Descend your ascent route.

Move over to another hump next to the summit, where you get some awesome views down to the west side of the peninsula. Make sure you're standing safe if it's icy.

Trip report Mar 13 2005 - Veten and Ulriken

Snowfall was predicted through the weather forecast, and the snowfall came. I got up 06:00AM this Sunday morning, considering if I should try to get a mountain before the snow came. I dropped the idea. The horizon was grey, and at 07:00AM, it had begun to snow. It didn't matter. I had an extraordinary good day in the Byvasshovden region the day before, so I didn't mind a rest day.

After completing the Byvasshovden trip report, I drove out to Korsnes. For years, I had noticed a characteristic hill along the coastline, but only recently discovered where and what it was. After getting on the Korsnes road by the Krokeide harbor, the road seemed to go on and on. At last I parked the car alongside the road, afraid that the hike would boil down to nothing.

It was snowing much less on Korsnes, and the weather was not bad at all. Another hiker explained the route up to Veten, and after a little while, I was on the forest road starting at the parking area. I got company by a photographer who was carrying a lot of equipment. He was heading towards the coastline for a shooting session. I have always wanted to be able to take good pictures, but when I see the effort, I can live with my small Nikon digital camera. Easily.

I was indeed happy to walk with the photographer. Troll had been refusing to walk, but when the photographer came along, the dog's feet got moving. I parted with the photographer and headed up into the forest, following a red ribbon trail. Troll went back to his usual habits and put up the poor-little-me-in-this-evil-forest act. There is a cure. It is a bit irritating, so I normally just put him in the backpack. I lift him slightly up from the ground, then send him forward. He gives me the "so this is the end?" look, and tumbles over. I lift him and repeat the procedure. After 10-15 repetitions, the dog finally concludes that he's better off walking.

We reached the top of Veten 12:35PM. It had only taken 25 minutes from the parking area, and I wasn't even walking fast. In addition, there was this discussion with the dog. This must be one of the shorter walks I've had. In addition, we walked along the Korsnes road for awhile, which is not included in the time given above.

On the top, the weather changed dramatically. The wind picked up and all of the sudden, being on this top was unpleasant. I put Troll in the backpack and moved over to the hump next to the summit. A hiker that I met on top told me to stay away from this hump, as it was icy and steep. I had no previous plans to visit this hump, but now I got interested. I chose a more difficult approach than strictly necessary, climbing up this hump with the insane drop down to my left. Satisfied with the views and having ignored a good advice, I put Troll back on the trail and headed down.

Back in Bergen, I dropped Troll off at the house, and headed for Ulriken. I expected there to be an inferno on top, and I didn't want to put him through that. On the way up the Lægdene trail, I met Svein and Kjell Åge - two friends of mine. I didn't expect to see anyone on this hike, but I wasn't surprised to meet these guys. Svein and Kjell Åge are part of a climbing group with a great love for the Jotunheimen 2000m mountains. I refer to them as the "madpack", as they do all sorts of crazy stuff. Svein has a fascinating reputation of falling off mountains. Even if I don't have the same fascination about the Jotunheimen peaks, they have welcomed me into their group, and we meet regularly and enjoy quality time. Pizza, beer and mountains on DVD/Video. Noone in the whole wide world has more mountain footage than Svein. TV stations included.

As I expected, the weather got increasingly worse the higher we came. It was a blizzard on top, and there was of course just the three of us up there. We headed down the Langrinden ridge and then split company. It was on Ulriken that I met Svein for the first time, and I've met him up there a couple of times since. This was however the first hike we did together.

Pictures from the Mar 13 2005 hike to Veten

Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.

1. Walking the road on Korsnes (233KB) 2. Red ribbons mark the trail to Veten (234KB) 3. Veten comes into view (357KB) 4. Korsnes is full of steep cliffs (431KB) 5. Veten summit (240KB) 6. Veten summit views (310KB) 7. Veten summit views (336KB) 8. Veten summit views (421KB) 9. Veten summit views (341KB)

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Pictures from other hikes:

1. Veten on Korsnes, which I visited the day before (235KB) 2. View from above Turnerhytten (703KB)

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