Angeline in Norway and the lovely view in front of her house

Why are you in Norway during this pandemic?

As I am on unpaid leave, I wanted to make the most out of the extra time and stay positive. I knew I always get energy when I am one with nature, and I was in Norway for my baking apprenticeship 2 years ago, where I had made some friends. So, I decided to come back again both for the nature and friendship.

This bench, hanging dangerously on the side of Synchorn cliff, has the best view. To reach this bench, you have to climb the Synshorn Via Ferrata trail located in Norway.

What is Via Ferrata?

Via Ferrata is similar to rock climbing, which requires skills and a certain level of physical fitness. Of course, there are some Via Ferrata which requires more than an average level of fitness, but some Via Ferrata can be done by an average fit person.

Where is Synshorn Mountain

As “syn” means “sight” in Norwegian, the name Synshorn Mountain means you’ll have a magnificent view of the surrounding Jotunheimen peaks and Bygdin Lake. The starting point of the Synshorn via ferrata is roughly a 3 hour drive from Oslo. Synshorn Via Ferrata is open for guided tours from June till September, depending on the weather. The climbing trip lasts approximately 4 hours.

What inspired you to do steel climbing (via ferrata)? It sounds like a dangerous thing to do!

I was introduced to Via Ferrata by one of my best friends Kevin Chin, his passion towards the mountains and nature inspired me. At the same time, his story about his experiences with Via Ferrata ignited my curiosity about the actual experience itself. Via Ferrata might sounds dangerous, and it is dangerous if one does it at a place where there is no regular maintenance on the equipment and the Via Ferrata.

The fear of Via Ferrata will diminish when you establish trust with your equipment and enjoy the journey, the serenity, the sense of freedom, and the beauty of nature.

What is your most memorable moment during the climb?

On this particular climb, I have to say that the challenge was the bad weather; the wetness from the rain and the chill from the wind😅 is the most memorable experience. I could see that my fingers were shivering while I was trying to clip the carabiner. Yet on the flipside, I enjoyed the challenge. In fact, that is what I always seek for. It makes me stronger, gave me strength mentally so that I could eventually overcome my challenges. It felt like in the movie, where we would get the strength when we need fight to survive.

This is the bench with the best view, although you have to be comfortable with heights to enjoy sitting there. The weather on that day was not too good. From my experience. Norway is one of the non-tropical countries with most blue sky yearly. However, that weekend had no blue sky. Well, as a local saying there, ‘No bad weather, only wrong outfits’, and now I learned!