Now you will recall from my hiking post last week that the guides suggested I delayed my mountain adventure as the cloud cover would probably lift for a little bit. The only problem was that my hike took longer than I had expected, and by the time I arrived at Loen the cloud had really returned.

1000 metres in 5 minutes

Loen Skylift is described as one of the steepest cable cars in the world; rising from the edge of Nordfjord to the restaurant on the edge of Mt. Hoven. With a gradient of 60% and a lift of thousand metres, it certainly is above average and the ride only takes five minutes. Once at the top you’ll enjoy a 210-degree panoramic view; well you will if the skies are clear! Instead as I emerged from the car it was trying to snow, and the clouds were swirling around us. Then there was the briefest of moments; I could see the QM2 more than a thousand metres below and also (almost) the walk I had done.

looking south to Olden

Seconds later the view had gone, but I had my full waterproofs on and after a morning hiking in the mud I wasn’t daunted by exploring in low cloud. So I stayed outside and followed one of the paths. I didn’t last long though, the damp, the cold and the lack of the view weren’t really how I wanted to spend my afternoon. So I headed indoors and spoilt myself to a much needed hot chocolate. Suddenly there was a break, would it last long enough for me to nip outside and get a another shot.

the Nordfjord meandering towards Stryn in the west

Not quite the sky I was hoping for but still very beautiful and it was a wonderful atmospheric mountain adventure.

41 thoughts

  7. Well, you got some nice atmospheric views and had an adventure which is a good day in my book. I once hiked up a mountain in Switzerland (forget which one), which had a restaurant at the top. It was socked in with cloud and people who paid a good deal to ride the cable car just turned around and went back down. I took the opportunity to dry my socks under the bathroom hand dryers and, when I went outside, the clouds parted and I got some decent photos. The hike down was much quicker as the last steep bit, which took an hour’s slog to get up, was covered in a few minutes by sliding down a snow chute on my raincoat!

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  9. I can never resist a cable car ride, whatever the weather, so I would definitely have been up there with you! And in that weather, hot chocolate sounds like a great idea 🙂

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  14. Memories are made in such moments. I recall standing high above Tromso, looking at heavy cloud cover over the fjords and countryside below whilst I basked in warm sunshine. That in itself was magic but what was equally magical was to see planes bursting through the cloud from the distant Tromso airport anothers disappearing down into the unbroken thick cloud. A giant magicians trick 😄

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  17. So atmospheric! Just a bit disappointing and probably not very safe on your own, Becky? Great to have had the experience, though. Happy weekend! xx

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