By Caroline George Hydnefossen could be the single most outstanding climb in Norway. Although there are harder and longer routes, Hydnefossen is one of those must-do classic hard ice climbs, one that any ice climber would want to have on his or her tick list.

By Caroline George The forecast this morning is for sunshine and no wind. We drive to climb Will’s route, a 400m long WI5+ climb, but the wind is blowing snow so strongly that we can’t even make out the road. The summits are again lost in a cloud of snow.

By Caroline George Completing the first ascent of a route means that you are the first person to climb the route … ever. That might seem obvious, but here in Norway, it’s all but a given.

By Chad Peele After numerous days of traveling, scouting and climbing, a down day was sounding pretty good. We decided that Eidfjord was just too “dead” to enjoy and that we should have a mellow day of climbing instead. Luckily for us, we had the perfect route to explore.

By Caroline George We pull into Ossa, a little hamlet across the ferry north of Eidfjord, sitting on the tip of one of Norway’s many fjords. A striking blue line peers from behind a rocky outcrop. We drive to the end of the road and the view reveals two long pillars of bright blue ice.

By Adam George For the past week, we’ve followed climbers Chad Peele and Caroline George as they attempted a bevy of first ascents in Norway. Also on the trip is George’s husband, Adam, who gave us a sneak peek at what it’s like to tie into rope with your partner in climbing and in life.

By Caroline George Naming a route can sometimes be the real crux of a route. The name needs to communicate what was experienced and/or describe aspects of the climb. For example, “The Nose” on Yosemite’s El Capitan gives away the part of the wall the route follows