Nipa via Stegane from Matre (05.11.2023)
| Start point | Matre (6m) |
|---|---|
| Endpoint | Matre (6m) |
| Characteristic | Hillwalk |
| Duration | 4h 42min |
| Distance | 13.0km |
| Vertical meters | 506m |
| GPS |
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| Ascents | Nipa (437m) | 05.11.2023 |
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Nipa via Stegane from Matre
Warning: This hike includes a steep ascent and a potentially very dangerous dam crossing. Read the report carefully and plan accordingly!
An ascent of Nipa next to Hummelfossen in Matre had been on my list for a while but had always been postponed as it requires that the hike is preceded by an extended period with low amounts of rain. Something that is rather uncommon in this part of the country. However, after an unusually dry October, and with little to no rain for the first days of November, the conditions were finally right.
I started by taking the express bus to Matre and from there walked north and then northeast along Stordalsvegen until arriving at Hummelfossen. Here I was glad to see that my predictions were right with Hummelfossen being almost completely without water, the importance of which will be revealed shortly, and I could begin the ascent towards Hummelvatnet.
The ascent, referred to as Stegane, consisted of lots of old stone staircases. These greatly simplified an ascent that otherwise most likely would have been very difficult without climbing and was an interesting experience in itself. There were several exposed areas, however there were always hand railings to hold on to. Note that the railings were not always on both sides of the stairs though. Hence, the ascent may not be for those afraid of heights. Shortly before reaching Hummelvatnet the terrain levelled off and the trail even turned into an old road.
Now I had arrived at the reason for doing this hike after a longer dry period: having to safely get to the other side of the dam at the western end of Hummelvatnet. As you can see in Petter's external trip report this can be far from trivial and should never be attempted if the dam is overflowing with water! (Petter's solution was to borrow a boat (see his report for details), however this is also not without its risks.)
After checking that the dam was completely dry and free of ice, I made my way onto the dam and easily crossed to the other side. In fact, the dam itself was flatter than expected and the traverse, under the given optimal circumstances, was thus straightforward. From there to the summit it was only a matter of aiming for the highest point and finding a reasonable ascent route. The terrain was relatively steep but the steepest sections could easily be avoided and I soon arrived at the summit without any real challenges.
The summit provided an impressive view across to the steep north face of Gråsida and a long drop down to Litle Hummelvatnet, indicating why there are few easy routes to this summit. After a lunch break I took a short detour east along the ridge for a look at eastern end of Hummelvatnet, before returning to the summit when the sun appeared (as predicted by ShadeMap). Well worth the extra minutes of waiting.
From the summit, I started the descent by following the ridge west but gave up when it became clear that there would not be any good views in that direction, at least not without a longer detour, and therefore returned to instead follow my ascent route back to the dam. After another safe crossing of the dam I descended along the steep stone staircases and concluded the hike by walking back to Matre for the bus back to Bergen.
In summary, a very interesting hike where the ascent via Stegane to Hummelvatnet can definitely be recommended as its own hike. The final ascent to the summit of Nipa was also straightforward (under the right conditions!) but is probably more of an acquired taste.
| Start date | 05.11.2023 09:20 (UTC+01:00) |
| End date | 05.11.2023 14:03 (UTC+01:00) |
| Total Time | 4h 42min |
| Moving Time | 3h 23min |
| Stopped Time | 1h 19min |
| Overall Average | 2.8km/h |
| Moving Average | 3.8km/h |
| Distance | 13.0km |
| Vertical meters | 506m |
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