Nordre Trolltinden (05.07.2025)

Having spent the previous day on the popular Romsdalseggen and Blånebba, our minds were still occupied with the spectacle of the Trollveggen. We wanted to get a closer look, to really grasp its scale, and with the Trollstigen closed, we had the idea to hike to the Nordre Trolltinden summit.

Given the imposing stature of the Trollveggen, we had some nerves regarding what we might encounter on the way to Nordre Trolltinden. We had consulted Pontus, the owner of our AirBnB, about our prospective route, and he had assured us that the scrambling was more challenging than Romsdalseggen (we did not find this challenging), but the route was clear, manageable and not too exposed.

Blessed with sun, low winds and comfortable temperatures, we began with the steep climb up Norafjellet from Sogge. Winding through the woods, we naturally separated on the 900m climb, letting it serve as a little workout before the terrain became more challenging. I arrived at the summit of Norafjellet approximately 61 minutes after starting, and Alice about 10 minutes later. It's here that you are greeted with a spectacular view of some of the northern summits of Trolltinden, surrounding the Adelsbreen glacier and above the cobweb of little streams we would next traverse.

The traverse across the streams was straightforward and we were soon trudging up bouldery slopes and remnant patches of snow (we watched as some runners glissaded down). Soon we could properly view Nordre Trolltinden, and assess potential routes towards its northern col. Given the large patches of snow and the ambiguous position of the glacier underneath, we decided initially to head up towards Adelsfjellet and attempt a high-up traverse above the snow. Once we had reached the col south of Adelsfjellet, we decided against this route as the rocks were loose and the snowbank steep. Making our way back into the bowl formed by the glacier, we made a more direct line across the snow, inspired by some other hikers we had seen coming from that direction. I had read online that the sections of glacier we'd be traversing were thin, and so we needn't worry about equipment for this. This lead us to a spur of slabs that descended from the northern col of Nordre Trolltinden. Some steep but easy hiking lead us to the col, where we could begin scrambling to the summit.

The scramble towards Nordre Trolltinden is short and involves a series of easy moves between slabs/ledges of solid rock. We had no issues picking a safe path up, and found all the moves to be sheltered from exposure. Within 10 minutes of scrambling, we had arrived at the summit. Our nerves about the day eased having successfully navigated the climb without issue.

The summit of Nordre Trolltinden is an otherworldly place. You can peep over the edge of the Trollveggen over 1000m down into Romsdalen below, appearing like a toy valley with miniature streams, trees, roads, etc. You can look towards Trollveggen itself, the characteristic rock formations that line it's top (I'm told these are the characteristic trolls) and onto Store Trolltinden and the airy ridge that separated us from it's summit. It's an exiting, airy place and we enjoyed the views together, alone on the summit.

We proceeded downward, retracing our steps, stopping for lunch on a rocky island in the snow. Next was a jog down the snow banks that lead towards the marshy streams and Norafjellet. We lost the main path coming down Norafjellet (following some other line) and ended up on a steep and muddy slab of rock 4m in height. Stupidly, not wanting to retrace my steps, I attempted to climb down, and of course slipped. Caught by mud, I was fine, but Alice was wiser and found a path up and around the crag. Our legs tired from cumulative days of steep descents, the way back down through the woods seemed to take longer than the ascent (in fact, I'm sure it actually did take longer). A few wild bilberries (blåbær) later and we had arrived at the car, still in awe of where we had been, and more generally Norway and the seeming possibility of an adventure around every corner.

© Miles Elvidge

© Miles Elvidge

© Miles Elvidge