The new Romsdalstigen via ferrata in Åndalsnes: «Once you start, there is no turning back.»
By BENJAMIN MOEYERSONS
A month into the new academic year, the newly arrived students are settling in and the former students have all made it back to Molde. This also means a new year filled with new adventures!
One can definitely be fulfilled by driving down for about one and a half hour (including ferry) to one of our neighboring towns: Åndalsnes. Here, Norsk Tindesenteret (Norwegian Climbing Center) opened the new Via Ferrata on the 2nd of august. For those of you who do not know what a via ferrata is: «A mountain route equipped with fixed ladders, cables, and bridges in order to be accessible to climbers and walkers.» Basically, a more protected way of achieving the thrill of climbing mountains.
The Romsdalstigen via ferrata is claimed to be the «toughest via ferrata in Norway», as mentioned by Kevin Kolstad from Norsk Tindesenteret. So there was nothing else to do than to try it out!
It didn’t take us long to realize that the «no turning back» was actually not a joke. Commitment was key! Going from one step to the other, clipping your karabiners over to the next steal cable, and making your way up the mountain was how we started and fulfilled the journey.
With the aim of making it accessible to each and every one; with a minimum age of 12 years, okay physical condition, and eagerness to climb a mountain, they have created two routes:
The Intro Wall:
- This route will take about 3h return
- Will give you a memorable experience with amazing views over Romsdalen valley
- And most importantly, you don’t need any former climbing experience to start climbing one of Norway’s gorgeous mountains
The West Wall:
- This route will take about 7h return
- Will take you all the way up to Nesaksla, which is 700m above sea level
- Is more thrilling as it includes more vertical facing walls, a challenging rock face to conquer, and a wavy bridge to top it all off
Both routes start at Norsk Tindesenter, and here you can choose to just rent equipment for a price of 400nok or go by yourself for a price of 200nok. There is also the option of booking a guided activity, for which you can find more information at the climbing centre’s homepage :
The via ferrata definitely is a new way of experiencing the Møre og Romsdal area. The occasional shouts, which are better not put into text, of both astonishment and excitement, are part of the iron road up to the top of Nesaksla.
As a bonus you can also pass by Rampestreken on the way down, with the magnificent overview over Romsdalen valley giving that extra astonishment to your trip.
