Romsdalseggen ridge walk

Romsdalseggen is one of my favourite hiking routes so far, some parts are really airy and exposed but the route is in good condition and there are chains at the hardest and steepest parts. 

Specs

• Length: ~10km 
• Duration: 6-7 hours without stops
• Start: Vengedalen parking lot
• Level: Intermediate or hard if you have fear of heights
• Ascent: ~1050 meters
• Descent: ~1450 meters 

Map: 

http://bit.ly/pimio_romsdalseggen

Route

You can walk the route both ways but it I would recommend walking it one way from Vengedalen to Åndalsnes. 

You can open the route in Suunto Movescount by clicking the picture

You can reach the Vengedalen by bus, own car or by taxi. There is road toll for the last bit of road to the parking lot if I remember correctly the toll was something like 60 NOK. I would recommend leaving the car to the Åndalsnes and then take the bus or taxi to the starting point. You can find the taxi post and bus schedule at the tourist information next to the railwaystation. 

Just like most of hikes in Norway, you start by going through birch forest following small stream of water. When you reach the tree line continue the path until you see the post to the romsdalseggen to the left. Follow the path to the top of the ridge but be careful, before the ridge there is lots of loose stones and boulders. 

On top of the ridge you can see the whole glory of the romsdal valley and it is good time to have snacks before continuing on the narrow parts of the ridge. When you reach the ridge you can turn left and conquere the blånebba 1320 m.o.h (meters above sea level) or you can continue to the right to the romsdalseggen. 

View of the "Troll wall" from top of the ridge

When starting the ridge walk you have to go down couple steep sections where you have chains to help you. After that starts the airy part of the hike, there are couple super narrow spots or spots where you have to use chains to climb up. Remember to stop and enjoy the view!

Video that I took of this part of the hike in 2015. 

Liisa climbing the steep section of the hike

After the steep parts you finally reach the flat top of Mjølvafjellet, from there you start long descent to the Åndalsnes. When you go more down and down you are greeted with more and more people who come to experience the rampestreken viewpoint at 580 m.o.h. The descent can be quite rough on the legs so reserve plenty of time. 

Overall I really recommend this route if you have some experience in hiking and you like narrow ridge walks.