8-9-10 june 2018, running-climbing arround Romsdalsfjord by the ridges. 168km - +-20.000m - max V. Self-supported (one village halfway)

Gear: x-alpine shoes (change to sense ultra at village), socks (2), long teeshirt, shorts, skin pro 15 backpack, x-alp gloves, down jacket, hybrid pants,cutted 20cm iceaxe, 3 part poles, sunglasses, balaclava, 50m 5mm dynema rope, light harness, 1 safety carabinner, 20 bars and 10 gels, credit card , smartphone, gopro, extra battery. Total: 3,5kg

Budget: bars and gels: 50e, gasoil 10e

GPX: Wikiloc

DESCRIPTION:

Start at Måndalen at 9AM, good conditions, sun, warm:

It is the combination of 4 loop ridges:

1. Måndalen
   1. Kaltind-Trolltinden ridge
   2. Storbua ridge
   3. Trollvasstinden ridge
   4. Volldalen loop
2. Innfjorden
   1. Smørbotn loop to Finnan
   2. Droninga-Kongen-Bispen
3. Trollstigen
   1. Trolltindan ridge
4. Åndalsnes
   1. Vengedalen horseshoe
   2. Hauduken-Juratind
   3. Kjovskarstinden-Kyrkjetaket-Klauva horseshoe
5. Isfjorden

Route: Måndalen-Kaltinden-Grøntinden-Prosten-Svartevastinden-Seskknuben-Ospetind-Geitemjolk-Sandfjellet-Kvasstinden-Storbua-Månnvastinden-Trollvasstinden S-Center-N - Littefjellet-Måsvasstinden-Nonstind-Middagstind-Kinatinden-Skjervan-Innfjorden-Gjeredskollen-Gråfonfjellet-Smorbottstinden-Finnan-Dronninga-Kongen-Bispen--Trollstigen-Trolltindan pinacles-Trollklorn-åndalsnes-Mjølvafjellet-Blånebba-Romsdalshorn-Litte romsdalshorn- Olaskrastinden-Venjetinden-Litte Venjetind-Store Venjetind-Hauduken-Juratind-Nyeitinden-Kjovskarstinden-Kirkjetaket-Klauva-Isfjorden

• To Innfjorden: 15h
• To åndalsnes: 25h
• To Store Vengetind: 35h
• To Gjuratind: 46h
• To Isfjorden: 56h

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NxXh3UqpAE

 

The Journey:

I'm very used to travel and find interesting projects in remote areas, the home backyard remains normally the "training terrain" and if we do some projects there it never seems as exciting or complicated as when we do far. But this can't be as far from reality. When in 2015 I did the Romsdal 7 summits I saw the endless possibility of linking peaks without going down from the ridges in moderate terrain. During the last 2 summers I have been running and climbing some of the ridges of Romsdal area and start to think on a link-up of the skyline around the fjord. But I always found excuses to not start-it "It will take to much time to recover after" or conditions didn't seem perfect, I pospone-it until June this year. I had an injury during a ski race in March so I had to rest and stay home and when I was able to start walking but not do much impact I was going to do some of the ridges, because the technicity of the terrain makes not possible to go fast and have big impacts. I saw conditions were good and start to think about for real. Personal projects are about creativity but also to find something challenging. The interesting thing in this project was about how to manege the concentration and precision needed on technical terrain when fatigue from the distance was big. Climbing solo IV or V and running 100 miles is today not a big challange for me, both do the 2 of them together can be interesting: Running a 100 miles the physical fatigue is making a slow curbe down but the mental fatigue (from sleep depravation, consequence of physical fatigue...) is big, we get more clumsy and blunderer, and it was interesting how to manage to be in a technical terrain after 25 or 30 hours running and move with efficency and safe in. How to manage this was the quid to be found.

June 5th, after dinner I pack my gear in the backpack and say to Emelie that I would be out in the ridges for some days (maybe 3 maybe 5). I started running up to Kaltind, a summit behind Måndalen, where we live and did the first long ridge to Trolltinden. And follow over Storbua massif before the 5 big climbs. Trollvasstinden Traverse, Littevasstinden, Nonstind, Midaggstind and Skarven, each with steep 1000m climb and descents and some fun ridges. But climbing to Trollvasstinden weather changed starting to snow and getting into deep clouds. When I reached Nonstind after 13h the terrain was very slippery and I decided it was stupid to continue, so I went down to the valley and run some 20km home, I arrived on time for breakfast.

2 days after weather seemed good and I started again, morning this time and Emelie joined me to go up Kaltind. From there conditions were perfect. after 15h I was already in Innfjorden and the sun was down (during this time of the year it never gets dark so is not need to use a headlamp but during some hours in the "night" it gets all a bit darker) If since then I was feeling great and with energy the long climb from Innfjorden to Gråfonnfjellet was hard, not energy at all and is some serious sections in the upper part of the climb (300m V/V+) so I really needed to fight to keep awake. From there an easy traverse to Finnan where I arrived midnight. I cross Trollstigen during the dark and start climbing to the Trolltind pinnacles very tired and cold. Just looking forward to be in the sun and sleep a bit. When I reach the summit the sun appear and I started abseil down towars the glacier. I run down to Åndalsnes looking forward to buy some food and to rest a bit.

I arrived in Åndalsnes after 25h and it was warm. I buy some food in the supermarket and rest and sleep for 1 hour. Since that moment I had seen nobody, here it was "many" people, in a way it was good to keep me motivated to push a bit harder up to Nesaksla and start the Vengedalen Horseshoe, with Romsdalshorn group, Kvandalstind and Vengetind Traverse. I was feeling again fresh and motivating myself to catch climbers before the belays or some pitches, but after Romsdalshorn group the sleeping feeling came back stronger than ever. It was warm in the sun so I just stop in a grassy patch, put my shoes to dry from sweet and put an alarm on my phone on 15 minutes. I wake up new and fresh and climb Vengetind Traverse on my normal fast speed. I reach the summit just before dark so I had still soft snow for the first part of the downhill. After that it is a tricky downclimb close to some waterfalls to get to a "flatish" section to link with the next mountain group.

During this "flatish" section between lakes, snow patches and lots of off-trail I feel sleepy again so I took another short power nap. It seem a good way to keep fresh for technical sections, to do a 15'-20' nap just before. by early morning of the 3rd day I reach the ridge of Hauduken and cross following the view of Eikesdalsvantet towards Juratind. The dark hours was and I feel tired again, and cold. I broke one of my poles on a snow field and started to be clumpsy again but reaching the sumnmit of Juratind and seing the last summits not that far was reviving. I freshly climbed down and up to Nyheitind to turn the fjord and start to go towards Isfjorden and the last 3 summits to climb. Warm, sunny, and slow and sleepy again. I took another nap before Styggevaershaugen. I open my phone and tell Emelie I would be finish in some ?¿ hours. Going up Kjøvskartinden I fell in a small rimaya, it was foggy in the valleys and only sun in the tops. The fall wasn't far, only 2 or 3 meters, but my body after 50 and some hours was tired and my back hurted. I stressed a bit to be slow if Emelie would be waiting for me so I tried to run fast up. From the I climbed Kirketaket and with Emelie we did the the Hesteskotraversen to Klauva and down to Isfjorden, and going home I eat a homemade pizza.