Published on Aug, 2023
My 17 year old son and I reserved a Noon guided intro wall via ferrata two months in advance of our port day on a cruise. The Norsk Tindesenter (Mountaineering Center) is right at the pier in town, in a beautifully designed building. We checked in and were given our climbing harness and helmet. Note that gloves are required (I had purchased some belaying gloves on Amazon to bring with me), but they also have gloves there that you can buy and keep. Shoes with a good hiking tread are essential, but they also have hiking boots there that you can rent. There were five guests in our group and our guide was Jorund. Bring a backpack with water and to store extra layers of clothes suitable for the weather. We were fortunate to have a partly sunny day and were actually hot during the climb, but at the top of the mountain, it was cooler, so we were glad for the additional layer. You can have a cell phone or camera, but it needs to be in a zippered pocket - otherwise, you will drop it. Might also be good to have a strap on it for when you are at places where you can get it out for use. Even though this is called the intro wall and does say that it is for beginners, this is not easy. I am 56 and in decent shape, but this was very challenging for me. Some good upper body strength and leg strength & flexibility is required. If you are scared of heights, this is not for you. There is a combination of metal rungs, boards, small metal footholds, rock edges, and belay rings that you will be using as both hand and foot holds. My biggest struggle was that I am only 5'1" and not the most flexible of my life and there were at least 3 places where I really had a hard time as the metal assistants were just too far apart for me to reach. I did lose my foothold at one of these and I did fall, but the safety harness and equipment worked exactly as it is supposed to, allowing me to only fall a few feet and I was easily able to reach back on to the metal trail. I had a couple of small cuts and bruises, but was able to keep going to finish. Jorund was amazing, very encouraging and supportive to everyone in our group. He told us stories about being a guide and his life in Norway and was all around a great guide that made all of us feel comfortable. He did use a rope to assist me in two of the difficult places for me. My son had no difficulties and loved his experience. The scenery from everywhere along the climb was amazing and there were plenty of places to safely take pictures. The guided part of the climb takes you a little bit more than halfway up the mountain where there is then a short hike to then reach the main hiking trail that goes from town to the top gondola station. You have a choice of walking back down with the guide to the mountaineering center (45 minutes), or you can elect to continue on your own up the trail. Note that you must take your helmet and harness with you to turn back into the mountaineering center. My son and I did elect to continue up the trail, where we went to the Rampestreken Viewpoint on the way up and then to the to the gondola station (took us an hour total), had a snack from the Cafe there, then took the gondola back down to town. This was a steep hike with lots of steps, and we were already tired from the climbing, but we were still happy we did the extra hike up. The gondola station in town is next door to the Mountaineering Center. Overall, this was a great experience, and I am proud of myself for trying it and completing it (with a little assistance, thanks to Jorund). Just make sure you are fully aware of what this entails before signing up.
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