tor's hammer
As we were looking at things to do in Norway, Julien saw an article in the NYT. It recommended visiting the town of Loen and going to the top of Mt. Hoven, which has spectacular scenery even by Norway’s high standards. There are two ways to get to the summit: a 5-minute ride on the Loen cable car or a 6-hour climb on the mountain’s via ferrata. We watched a video about the climb, and I knew I had to do it. I had the opportunity to do a similar climb several years ago during our first trip to Spain. At the last minute, I decided not to go. It was the right decision at the time, but I’ve had a tinge of regret ever since. The via ferrata in Loen was my chance for redemption.
Julien has, as most reasonable people do, a healthy respect for heights. I, on the other hand, am less phased by them. So he decided to spend the day going fishing on the beautiful Lovatnet lake just outside town, and I joined a guided group to (hopefully!) conquer Mt. Hoven.
The light blue is the route I did up Mt. Hoven.
We were about a dozen climbers and two guides. Our guides were excellent - energetic, helpful, and supportive. They told us at the beginning of the day that the climb would be challenging but absolutely worth the effort. They explained a bit about the route and said that mid-way up there’s an option to do a more difficult cut-away. Anyone who did that would have the option to do an extra section at the end of the climb called Tor’s Hammer. The new section was only recently completed and is the most difficult part of the route. At the beginning of the day, I didn’t even consider that I would do it.
We had a great start hiking up a steep path to the beginning of the route. Then our guides showed us how to use our gear and we started climbing. After half an hour, I started to get in a groove. My rock-climbing experience kicked in. I felt strong and confident. During a short break, one of the guides looked at me and said, “You’re having fun, aren’t you?” I smiled. I really was having fun.
Then, we got to the difficult cut-away. We had the option to stay on the moderate B/C route or move to more challenging C/D climbing (Via ferrata routes are rated on a scale of difficulty from A to F, A being the easiest). Most of the group decided to continue on the regular path. One other person and I decided to go for the C/D side. It was hard. There was a slight overhang in one spot. I tried half a dozen times to get past it, but I was stuck. I couldn’t see a way up, and I started to seriously question if I could do it. The guides had continued with the other climbers on the B/C section. So I couldn’t ask them to point out the best moves or hidden holds. The climber ahead of me was already out of sight (I thought he had finished, but I later found out he had left via the “escape route” back to the B/C side). For the first time on the climb, I started to feel anxious. I had racing thoughts, irrationally doubting my ability and my gear. Then, I took a minute to rest. I shook out my hands and legs and realized that my only real option was to find a way up. So I took a deep breath and looked for a new strategy over the overhang. I don’t know how exactly, but I did it! With a boost of adrenaline and excitement, the rest of the section went easily. I took a moment of gratitude before I rejoined the group, simply admiring the astounding view.
The next section included two wire bridges, which were a ton of fun. And just like that, we were at the last part of the climb. The guides turned to me and asked if I was interested in doing Tor’s Hammer, the optional ‘extreme’ part of the mountain. I wanted to do it, but after nearly 6 hours of climbing and hiking, I was exhausted. I just didn’t think I had the physical ability to finish a D/E climb. But the guides had a trick: they offered me a quickdraw (a short piece of climbing equipment) that would help with the tougher sections. I still wasn’t completely sure I could do it, but I knew that having the guide with me the whole way was another important support. I decided to go for it. It was a slow going. I needed several breaks. After about 45 minutes, I made it to the top! I could hardly believe it. Looking back at the climb, it feels a little surreal to know that I did it.
Look closely! Zoomed in from left to right, that’s me climbing Tor’s Hammer!
I didn’t escape completely unscathed. I ended up with a hip flexor strain (it would have been wise to do a bit of stretching along the route). But I would do it again in a heartbeat! I’m actually looking into German via ferratas, known here as Kletterstiegs, to do before the weather gets too cold. Fingers crossed!
