The snow came in full, and then went away..
Index
| Date | Peak | Height | PF | Location | WCP/FP | MAP |
| 15.01.24 | Røddalshorn | 563m | 100m | Sande, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 15.01.24 | Rambjøra | 132m | 109m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 16.01.24 | Huldrehornet | 271m | 113m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 17.01.24 | Røddalshorn | 563m | 100m | Sande, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 17.01.24 | Rambjøra | 132m | 109m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 18.01.24 | Dragsund | – | – | Herøy, M&R, Norway | – | MAP |
| 19.01.24 | Røddalshorn | 563m | 100m | Sande, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 19.01.24 | Rambjøra | 132m | 109m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 20.01.24 | Melshornet | 809m | 567m | Ørsta, Norway | WCP | MAP |
| 21.01.24 | Lysløypa, Leikongeidet | 160m | 0m | Herøy, M&R, Norway | – | MAP |
Røddalshorn (563m), Jan 15 2024
Monday: And then the snow came back. My first thought was to go back up Røddalshorn in the afternoon. After the recent snowmelt, there was a good sole and so Karma wouldn’t have too much of a struggle.
My buddy Bjørn (whom I skied with here one week earlier) had been up before me and so we followed his tracks from the trailhead.
I soon decided to leave his tracks and make my own, along where I had planned to descend. This would be Karma’s descent track and when it got dark, it would also help me to get reference points.
Karma seemed happy about the return of winter.
I could have wished for daylight during the descent, but that’s not in the cards in January with a full-time job.
At least we had daylight going up…
This would be another long winter…
The snow was great all the way to the top, which is very unusual of this wind-riddled mountain.
And then we reached the top.
Bjørn had continued across the top and skied back home.
Now it was time for the best part of the trip. I didn’t have to say anything. Karma knows the drill…
It was just as nice as I had thought it would be. Maybe I could have wished for a non-stop ride, rather having to wait for Karma. But that’s how it is with “kids” …
Trip statistics: 3,8km, 400 vertical meters, 1h:05m
Rambjøra (132m), Jan 15 2024
Monday: As the Røddalshorn trip only took an hour, I figured we could take a walk across Rambjøra – and break trail.
Karma seemed confused about the second trip, but she also seemed happy.
On top, it was time for treats – again.
She voluntarily sticks her face into the snow all the time so she can’t complain about icing issues…
Trip statistics: 3,7km, 150 vertical meters, 0h:52m
Huldrehornet (271m), Jan 16 2024
Tuesday: Creativity was low after work and so I settled for a walk up to my local top Huldrehornet.
We had a nice walk up the forest, enjoying the powder snow.
This mountain is almost always windy and today was no exception.
It was a nice afternoon and I regretted not bringing my camera. But with all this snow, there is nowhere to put it when I need long shutter speed. The Iphone would just have to do…
We reached the top and didn’t stay longer than it took for Karma to enjoy her treats.
On the way down, Karma picked up a scent (or a track) and displayed a strong interest. I decided to let her follow it and lead the way. We ended up in a part of the forest where I hadn’t been before and have no intention of returning to. We had a bit of a bush fight before we could get back on the trail.
Trip statistics: 3,2km, 275 vertical meters, 1h:01m
Røddalshorn (563m), Jan 17 2024
Wednesday: More snow had fallen during the night and in the afternoon, I decided to return to Røddalshorn to enjoy my share of the powder snow.
Others had been up before me, and Karma had a fairly easy ascent today also.
When the snow got deeper, I sent Karma out on a ridge where there would be less snow. She was confused about why she couldn’t go with daddy.
I just had to let her walk with me, even if it was twice as hard for her.
The snow was just beautiful, and I just couldn’t wait to get up.
The summit ridge had very hard snow, icy in places. The wind was once again beating on the mountain, but it hadn’t destroyed the snow in the hillside yet.
And off we went…
We were a few minutes earlier than on Monday, but I still used the headlamp to see the finer details. My sight is definitely not how it used to be…
Trip statistics: 3,8km, 400 vertical meters, 0h:57m
Rambjøra (132m), Jan 17 2024
Wednesday: Like on Monday, we took a walk across Rambjøra after returning home from Røddalshorn.
The amount of snow was still moderate, but more – much more – was in the making…
My tracks from Monday were still visible.
One last picture, and then we called it a day.
Trip statistics: 3,7km, 150 vertical meters, 1h:02m
Dragsund, Jan 18 2024
Thursday: It was snowing all day, and I was tired after several rounds of shovelling snow. Anne came in the afternoon, but after a long and strenuous drive from Sogndal, she wasn’t interested in any outdoor activity. She had already been on one ski-trip earlier in the day (as part of her job). So the only exercise Karma got today, was a round trip in the Myrvåg – Dragsund area.
Trip statistics: 3,2km, 50 vertical meters, 0h:37m
Røddalshorn (563m), Jan 19 2024
Friday: There was no way Anne would NOT come along to Røddalshorn this afternoon. This would also be her first Randonnée skiing this year. There were 6 other cars at the trailhead. We’ve never so many cars here before.
Given the amount of fresh snow, we let Karma stay at home.
My tracks from earlier in the week were history and we were now following a track that took us up the ridge and then onto the north side. There was less snow on this side.
The conditions were semi-good. But at least we didn’t have fog…
We could see the moon but didn’t really have moonlight. The light was a bit flat.
We both struggle a bit when the light is flat and it’s turning dark. You can talk about better goggles all day long, but we just need better eyes…
The snow on the summit ridge was a mix of Monday’s and Wednesday’s snow. In other words, a mix of fresh snow and wind-packed snow.
And then we were up – my 3rd visit this week…
It was definitely not the best light for us, but at least the snow was gorgeous.
There’s something extra magical about skiing along the coastline or near a fjord.
The forecast ahead mentioned rain. Maybe this was the last Røddalshorn trip for a while? Time would show.
Trip statistics: 3,8km, 400 vertical meters, 1h:05m
Rambjøra (132m), Jan 19 2024
Friday: When we returned home from Røddalshorn, Karma went nuts. We had also left her alone earlier in the day when we attended a funeral in Ørsta.
Before calling it a day, I decided to take the Randonnée skis and break a good trail across Rambjøra – assuming Karma would be happy to come along. She wasn’t and after 100 meters, she turned around and ran towards the house. I had to chase her to stop her from running out on the street. My firm voice worked (again) and I could bring her safely back home.
And then I went into the Rambjøra forest – alone. Halfway up the forest, one skin fell off and I had a bit of a struggle getting up the forest with only one skin.
I had never been up here with Randonnée skis before. The route isn’t really fit for skiing and so the descent would be a challenge.
But I managed to get myself down without crashing into any trees or wrecking the skis on rocks.
Trip statistics: 3km, 150 vertical meters, 0h:56m
Melshornet (809m), Jan 20 2024
Saturday: The weather forecast for this Saturday wasn’t so good, but there was a window around noon that could be explored.
We decided to drive to Volda and ski Melshornet from Helgatun. I had already been to Melshornet this year but didn’t mind a second trip.
When we got to Helgatun, the parking was full and there was already a long line of cars along the road. We parked where the road runs up to the skiing centre and there was a long, long line of cars going up that way also. The mountain was crowded today!
With skiers everywhere, this is perhaps not the best place to bring a dog, especially when the dog is not on a leash. Making it work requires two things: 1) a dog that will obey commands and 2) good understanding of the “traffic pattern” on this mountain.
The lower part of the mountain was not so busy. The majority of off-piste skiers took the lift to Sandhornet, skied down to Kleppesætra before going back to the skiing centre. As such, they were not really touching the Helgatun – Melshornet route.
It was really nice being down in the forest. No wind at all.
Higher up, most skiers were going off-piste and very few skiers came our way.
In the final hillside, the wind was picking up and it was crystal clear that our stay on top would not be pleasant.
We only stopped for a couple of pictures before we moved down from the worst wind to prepare for the descent. Worse than the wind was the turbulence/snowdrift.
Again, Karma was behaving strangely when we began the descent. She was running back and forth, barking and barking. She only does this when it’s Anne and me skiing. She never does this when she’s alone with me. We have no clue as to why she’s that way.
We decided to split up. I let Karma run freely ahead of me and there was no more barking and confusion. She ran as fast as she could (and she’s still running fast – averaging on 25km/h in the lower part of the route)
When we drove home, we could see that the weather was deteriorating considerably, and the temperature had gone up 4-5 degrees. What would we be getting now? Snow, rain or a mix?
Trip statistics: 7,3km, 580 vertical meters, 1h:53m
Lysløypa, Leikongeidet, Jan 21 2024
Sunday: The snowmelt for the past 24 hours was just incredible. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked outside. Where had all the snow gone?
It was raining and the weather was not pleasant. But we had to do something. Anne suggested that we could skiing in the lit trail at Leikongeidet, if there was any snow left.
There was still snow and we took the skis with built-in skins. They were supposed to be good for this type of snow (soft and wet).
First, we did a 5km round just to warm up and create tracks. The snow was really soggy, and the skis were not gliding well. It got much better when we had created tracks.
Then we took a few more laps with elements of interval training.
I was constantly thinking about going back to Røddalshorn afterwards but realized that the light would be flat and the snow would be terrible. So, we called a week and went to the cinema in Ulsteinvik instead.
Trip statistics: 6,8km, 280 vertical meters, 1h:14m
