Just 30 minutes ago, I’d been enjoying the sun’s warmth on my shoulders and a gentle breeze which brushed against the silken fabric of my vest, tired from hiking up the Rimsteigen trail which led the way from fjord to fjell. Now, I was grateful for the durable jacket and the reinforcements at the seat of my leggings as I whooped my way down the glissade channel that Tor, our mountain guide, had carved out of the crisp, white snow. I felt alive, enjoying the childlike and gleeful regression into play outdoors. I’d read about glissades (the hillwalkers’ jargon for bum-sliding your way down a mountain) but had never had cause nor opportunity to put it into practice until now. Everyday in the mountains is a school day. This moment, for me, encapsulated the essence of Helly Hansen’s Open Mountain Month so neatly.
Main image: Hiking above Nærøyfjord | Credit: M Creative Studio / Helly Hansen
Founded in Norway in 1877, Helly Hansen continues to develop professional grade apparel that helps people stay and feel alive. With the support of local Norway Mountain Guides, and kitted out in the latest in a long list of first-to-market innovations, I felt held in that sweet spot between safety and surety which can give us the confidence to broaden our own adventurous horizons. I was in for a week of ‘firsts’.
I’d never hiked or camped in Norway before. We were welcomed warmly by Olav Magne and Katrine, who greeted us at Nærøyfjorden Camping, where the road ends and the fjord begins. Katrine wore her traditional Norwegian bunad, embroidered with emblems of the region where she’d lived before settling with Olav at this farm, passed down through generations. After explaining their role as guardians of this cherished place – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – as well as how to best respect the campsite and wider mountain environments, we were shown to our waterside pitch spot.
I’d left my home in the Peak District during a heatwave which saw the now-annual May wildfires rampage across moorlands. For some reason, I’d travelled to Norway with the preconception that, culturally, they had it all figured out. I’d read about allemannsretten, the legal right to roam enshrined within the Outdoor Recreation Act. With the caveat that everyone must demonstrate personal responsibility, deep respect for nature, and consideration for local communities it bears more than a passing resemblance to the right to responsible access enjoyed in Scotland.
While locals here have their own concerns about the effects of over-tourism and the climate crisis on their high places, ultimately, their joy in sharing their home landscapes with us shone through stronger. As at home, I found a delicate and fragile ecosystem in which people are constantly adapting in order to live among these incredible landscapes harmoniously. It’s a hopeful picture.
Once campfire introductions to the group were made, we were told to get some rest. Even the Norwegian Mountain Guides – a team kitted out in Helly Hansen head-to-toe that feeds back to the brand on what works and what doesn’t – deemed the next day’s hike a ‘challenge’ and the forecast was uncertain.
We woke to bright skies and a home-cooked breakfast from which we made up packed lunches. My first time tasting Norwegian brown cheese served up a sweet’n’savoury revelation. Water would be refilled from one of the many falls, including the cascades of Tuftefossen, that we passed – no problems with Giardia, here, head guide Frank confidently informed me when I glanced over with caution and curiosity.
My gaze lifted to the snow-capped peaks and I packed up my layers, dressing in a vest built with LIFA® Active technology. Excellent at wicking moisture, I was soon grateful for the breathability. Sweat started to prickle at my brow as the Rimsteigen trail surged up, up and up 2,500ft in a head-spinningly short few miles.
Not used to group hikes, I was relieved that our mountain guides were as enthralled by their surroundings – despite already knowing the landscape intimately – as I was. We paused often to chat, to nibble at abundant Wood Sorrel growing alongside the trail, to marvel at the views down the corridor of rock giants, and to consume plentiful trail snacks. Toothpaste-sized tubes of Nugatti, the Norwegian version of Nutella, were eagerly pulled from hipbelts and squeezed into mouths at regular 30-minute intervals.
It wasn’t long until we reached the snowline. As the guides pointed out sites of recent avalanches, stating that more rock and mud slides are being documented as temperatures become more extreme, we began pulling our lightweight Odin jackets from our packs. Made with LIFA INFINITY™, they shrugged on easily – even for me, a hiker who runs extremely hot – and proved exceptionally waterproof, breathable, and windproof as we began the steep descent as the trail plunged back down to the fjord.
The boots managed well with the loose rock and, to the best of my knowledge, our 20-strong group remained miraculously blister-free, all toenails intact.
Back on terra firma, and in true Norwegian style, we soothed aching limbs in the sauna before plunging into the 6-degree waters of the fjord, paddling for a while and peering down to the fjordbed where hundreds of red starfish had settled in the nutrient-rich combination of saltwater and freshwater. Admittedly, I perhaps spent a few too many minutes floating on my back, my eyes glued like magnets to the summits from whence we’d come, enthralled by this new watery perspective on high places unlike any I’d seen before.
After swimming, I snuggled into a Verglas Down Jacket 2.0 with a warming meal and glass of wine before crawling into our shelter, blissed out and contented.
