When I got back to the Sunnmöre Alps on the evening of 1th of April it was a different landscape that I saw. It had snow about 50 cm and it was still snowing heavily. It was winter again. At Ålesunds airport I met with Erland, Kajsa, and Jesper Hermodsson.
Day 1, 2nd of April
When we woke up it had snowed another 30 cm over night and was still snowing heavily. Our only realistic option for the day was to go to the local ski system, Bondedalseidets skisenter. Just getting there was a bit of an adventure.
Even though the lifts only give you about 400 vertical meters the skiing was fantastic. There was 30cm of fresh powder in the slopes and 50cm outside the pistes. Before the day was over we had done almost 4000 vertical meters. We even got to see the sun for a brief moment at the end of the day.
Day 1, 2nd of April
When we woke up it had snowed another 30 cm over night and was still snowing heavily. Our only realistic option for the day was to go to the local ski system, Bondedalseidets skisenter. Just getting there was a bit of an adventure.
Even though the lifts only give you about 400 vertical meters the skiing was fantastic. There was 30cm of fresh powder in the slopes and 50cm outside the pistes. Before the day was over we had done almost 4000 vertical meters. We even got to see the sun for a brief moment at the end of the day.
Day 2, 3rd of April
Up: 850m
Down: 850m
Length: 5.5km
Total time: 5 hours
When we woke up the sun was out and showed us the beautiful surroundings around the Hjörund fjord. It was a magical sight with all the new snow that had fallen.
After all the snow and wind we had over the last days I wanted to find something that wasn’t too steep. Hellehornet (1239m) seemed like a good choice.
When I was choosing the way up through the forest I was relying too much on the guide book instead of using common sense. We ended up in a tight pine tree forest and with all the new snow it was quite interesting route finding to say the least. But we made it through and before us laid a big white ocean of powder.
We made it up to Kalvedals egga (ca 950m) but had to turn around here because Erland started to have problems with his knee.
The skiing down was fantastic.
Up: 850m
Down: 850m
Length: 5.5km
Total time: 5 hours
When we woke up the sun was out and showed us the beautiful surroundings around the Hjörund fjord. It was a magical sight with all the new snow that had fallen.
After all the snow and wind we had over the last days I wanted to find something that wasn’t too steep. Hellehornet (1239m) seemed like a good choice.
When I was choosing the way up through the forest I was relying too much on the guide book instead of using common sense. We ended up in a tight pine tree forest and with all the new snow it was quite interesting route finding to say the least. But we made it through and before us laid a big white ocean of powder.
We made it up to Kalvedals egga (ca 950m) but had to turn around here because Erland started to have problems with his knee.
The skiing down was fantastic.
Day 3, 4th of April
Kolåstinden (1432m)
Up: 1200m + 100m
Down: 900m + 300
Lengh: 5km
Total time: 5.5 Hours
The weather was supposed to be the same today as yesterday but it was not. It could have been local conditions as well as bad forecast. The conditions vary a lot from one mountain to another here In the Sunnmöre Alps so it’s hard to know.
Except from a few glimpse of blue sky it was overcast and snow pretty much the whole day. But the snow was great, the spirit was high and the skiing down was super. So even if we missed out on the view from the top we had a great day.
Kolåstinden (1432m)
Up: 1200m + 100m
Down: 900m + 300
Lengh: 5km
Total time: 5.5 Hours
The weather was supposed to be the same today as yesterday but it was not. It could have been local conditions as well as bad forecast. The conditions vary a lot from one mountain to another here In the Sunnmöre Alps so it’s hard to know.
Except from a few glimpse of blue sky it was overcast and snow pretty much the whole day. But the snow was great, the spirit was high and the skiing down was super. So even if we missed out on the view from the top we had a great day.
Day 4, 5th of April
Gröthornet (1058m)
Up: 850m + 400m
Down: 400m + 850m
Length: 4km + 2km
Total Time: 6 hours
According to the weather forecast today was to be the worse day of the week. Gröthornet is a great bad weather mountain and it was so even today. The clouds were hanging low in valleys and it was snowing. But around Gröthornet there was a whole in the weather and we had blue sky coming and going all day.
This tour starts with 2km on a road that leads up to a small group of houses. After these houses there is a sparse birch tree forest and after that there are big wide surface of fun rolly terrain. The route finding is easy and there are no surprises.
The top section was so good that we decided to do it twice.
Gröthornet (1058m)
Up: 850m + 400m
Down: 400m + 850m
Length: 4km + 2km
Total Time: 6 hours
According to the weather forecast today was to be the worse day of the week. Gröthornet is a great bad weather mountain and it was so even today. The clouds were hanging low in valleys and it was snowing. But around Gröthornet there was a whole in the weather and we had blue sky coming and going all day.
This tour starts with 2km on a road that leads up to a small group of houses. After these houses there is a sparse birch tree forest and after that there are big wide surface of fun rolly terrain. The route finding is easy and there are no surprises.
The top section was so good that we decided to do it twice.
Day 5, 6th of April
EidsKyrkja (1482m) and Måsegga (ca 1000m)
Up: 1100m + 600m
Down: 1100m + 600m
Length: 5km + 2.5km
Total time: 4.5 + 2 hours
Eidskyrkja is a classic mountain in the Sunnmöre Alps. There is a small road that takes you up above the tree line which means every meter you walk is good skiing. Today both the weather and the snow was good. It was so good that after we came down from Eidskyrkja we decided to do another tour.
We did Måsegge which has the same starting point but goes more to lookers left. The skiing from the top was exceptional.
We were the first to arrive and the last to leave.
EidsKyrkja (1482m) and Måsegga (ca 1000m)
Up: 1100m + 600m
Down: 1100m + 600m
Length: 5km + 2.5km
Total time: 4.5 + 2 hours
Eidskyrkja is a classic mountain in the Sunnmöre Alps. There is a small road that takes you up above the tree line which means every meter you walk is good skiing. Today both the weather and the snow was good. It was so good that after we came down from Eidskyrkja we decided to do another tour.
We did Måsegge which has the same starting point but goes more to lookers left. The skiing from the top was exceptional.
We were the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Day 6, 7th of April
Skårasalen (1542m)
Up: 1300m
Down: 1542m
Length: 7.5km
Total time: 6.5 hours
Skårasalen is one of the most beautiful ski tours of Norway, and that is saying a lot. The tour starts in the Kvistaddalen and then up the west face of Skårasalen. The way down goes through a beautiful north east facing valley with high side walls and a fantastic view out on the Hjörund fjord. You ski down to an isolated farm and take a ferry back to Säbö.
I have done this tour twice before but not in conditions like this. It was a cold day. Even the south faces had powder on them.
The road up the up the Kvistaddalen was not plowed so we had to walk it. It’s not the end of the world but it adds about 5km to the tour, and a couple of hundreds of vertical meters. When we started to climb up the south face of Skårasalen there was a good track to follow. But there were also quite a lot of tracks coming down.
But when we got to the top of Litle Skåradalen we could see that there were only 4 tracks going down where we were going. At the top of Skårasalen there was almost no visibility at all. But as soon as we started skiing the visibility came back.
The ski down was one long happy joyride and it was hard to ski without sounding like a crazy cowboy herding cows, free and wild screaming his head off. It was one of the best runs I have ever had in Norway.
The day before we thought that that day was going to be hard to beat but this day clearly did it. A worthy finish of great powder week in the Sunnmöre Alps
Skårasalen (1542m)
Up: 1300m
Down: 1542m
Length: 7.5km
Total time: 6.5 hours
Skårasalen is one of the most beautiful ski tours of Norway, and that is saying a lot. The tour starts in the Kvistaddalen and then up the west face of Skårasalen. The way down goes through a beautiful north east facing valley with high side walls and a fantastic view out on the Hjörund fjord. You ski down to an isolated farm and take a ferry back to Säbö.
I have done this tour twice before but not in conditions like this. It was a cold day. Even the south faces had powder on them.
The road up the up the Kvistaddalen was not plowed so we had to walk it. It’s not the end of the world but it adds about 5km to the tour, and a couple of hundreds of vertical meters. When we started to climb up the south face of Skårasalen there was a good track to follow. But there were also quite a lot of tracks coming down.
But when we got to the top of Litle Skåradalen we could see that there were only 4 tracks going down where we were going. At the top of Skårasalen there was almost no visibility at all. But as soon as we started skiing the visibility came back.
The ski down was one long happy joyride and it was hard to ski without sounding like a crazy cowboy herding cows, free and wild screaming his head off. It was one of the best runs I have ever had in Norway.
The day before we thought that that day was going to be hard to beat but this day clearly did it. A worthy finish of great powder week in the Sunnmöre Alps
Thank you Erland, Kajsa and Jesper for a great week with good memories and a lot of fun.
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