The Mountains that Guard the Valley

Look up. It is hard not to. The mountain sides around us rise to between 1,500 and 1,800 metres (5,000 to 6,000 feet). These are not mountains you climb to enjoy a view – they are mountains that set limits on the sky and squeeze the winter daylight down to just a few hours. They form part of the Jostedalsbreen National Park and encircle one of the wildest and most inaccessible mountain plateaux in Europe. The sharpest peak you can see over there is called Ceciliekruna – Cecile's Crown – and measures 5,633 feet (1,717 metres). The name carries a sorrowful story: a young man once climbed this mountain to reach his future bride on the other side. But when he arrived, he was told she had fallen ill and died. He named the mountain after the bridal crown she would never get to wear. The mountain sides here are beautiful – but they are not gentle. There are 15 named avalanches in the Olden Valley – snowslides so regular they have been given their own names. Concrete tunnels have been built along the road to protect against the worst of them. It reminds us that the nature here is not a backdrop. It is a force.