AMONG FALLS AND FJORDS

Angelika Rainer has a visceral passion for ice climbing. Over the course of her 20-plus-year career, the “ice queen” born in Merano has become an icon of the discipline, winning three world titles and the overall World Cup rankings twice.

After leaving the competitive arena, Angelika began defying gravity on the most difficult mixed and dry tooling routes in the world, gradually raising the level of difficulty on rock as well. In 2023, with “Esclatamasters,” she achieved the dream of the first 9a of her career, thus becoming the first Karpos athlete to break the grade 9 barrier.
In February 2024, the South Tyrolean set her sights on the Hemsedal falls, the Norwegian mecca for ice axe enthusiasts, and the ice of the Sognefjord. A journey that is not a prelude to a return to competition, but an opportunity to rekindle old friendships and rediscover the essence of ice climbing.

The locations we visited on our adventure in Norway are just as I had imagined them.
You know those fairytale places that feel like Christmas year-round?
Well, our base for attacking the routes is a house made of dark wood, hidden under a meter of snow, with a Norwegian flag flying proudly in the courtyard.
My old friends Martin, Karina, Moni, and Michi and I chose an area just outside Hemsedal as our base, so we could fully enjoy the privilege that this landscape offers. For several years, I’d been leafing through guidebooks on the home of what is considered the best ice climbing on the entire peninsula. Here, enormous walls develop on the modest mountains with an occasional alpine appearance. The conditions, ideal throughout the whole winter, make this area a true paradise for ice climbers, who can attack the long icefalls and challenge themselves with routes of all degrees of difficulty.
 
On the first day, we opt for the two main isklatrevegg (ice climbing walls) of Hemsedal, with the aim of warming up and familiarizing ourselves with these surfaces. Under a light snowfall, climbing a couple of short routes of grade IV brings back the pure pleasure of climbing. Separating into two climbing parties, we then complete the large “Tuvfossen,” certainly among the most aesthetic and picturesque routes of our entire experience in Norway. Climbing here is amazing: the falls with compact ice, in a blue that’s halfway between the shades you find in Iceland and Canada, are, for me, winter at its finest.
 
On our last days of climbing in Hemsedal, taking advantage of a clear sky and cold temperatures, we look for an additional level of challenge: Hydalsfossen (IV+ - V), a 100-meter wall inclined at 80 degrees, which the sun doesn’t dare touch for most of the year and where the approach must be completed from above. After two hours of snowshoeing, when we catch sight of the falls, we see that it’s completely covered by abundant fresh snow. Safety considerations and the difficulty of setting up even just one rope prevent us from making even a rudimentary attempt. But the only failure of this adventure also remains the most beautiful: the 360-degree ​​view of the surrounding mountains, in the heart of Norway, provides a thrill that I’m willing to exchange for another route to add to my résumé. Plus, I have an excuse to return.
 

For the next few days, drawn by some stories we’d read on blogs and by the call of my travel companions’ photography, we decide to move to the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway and the second-longest in the world. An infinite corridor made of an infinite number of walls, which are reflected in the Baltic Sea in a play of light and shadow. The goal is a waterfall overlooking the sea, but, as forecast, the warm sea currents limit the formation of ice even in winter. The short windows of cold weather during the year make these routes the preserve of only locals and a few lucky travelers who happened to be in the right place at the right time. I think we’ll be back to try again!
 
We reverse course and return to the start of the valley, where we’d glimpsed an icefall practically by the side of the road. It’s Seltunfossen (IV+) — little used, but at the same time one of the most interesting in the area. Four easy pitches lead to the large and steep main wall, where you have to repeat another four pitches to complete the route. Here too, the company of my partners, the breathtaking surroundings, and the fact that we’re alone on this beautiful icefall turn this otherwise not too difficult route into something special.
 
Our adventure is coming to an end. There’s just enough time left to set our sights on the Haugsgjel flow, nestled in a canyon of dark rock. A challenging approach (more than two hours of climbing on steep scree) is the prologue to a beautiful climb in an impressive setting, enhanced by a view of the fjord that takes your breath and your words away. From a technical point of view, the most interesting part is the first pitch (V), but on the rest of it we also have our work cut out to complete what will be our last route.
 
Yes, because, as has happened to me on other occasions, a snowstorm moves in on the last day, making it impossible to say goodbye to these falls with a final climb.
No harm done, in the end. While outside the snow falls heavily and the wind howls, I can let my friends taste my specialties: pizza and, for dessert, cinnamon rolls, a typical Nordic sweet. And while memories from a few years ago emerge, our thoughts are already turning to future vertical projects.