Fjell is the Norwegian word for mountain, and it carries a slightly broader meaning than the English equivalent. A specific summit is et fjell (a mountain), but the word also describes the entire upland landscape above the treeline as a kind of mass noun - to gå på fjellet is to spend time in the open mountain country regardless of whether you actually climb a specific peak. The treeline in Norway varies from about 1,100 meters in the inland south to roughly 600 meters in the coastal north and 200 meters in eastern Finnmark.
Geographically, the Norwegian fjell falls into several distinct landscape types. The western coast features the dramatic vertical sea-to-summit terrain of the Sunnmøre Alps, the Lyngsalpene and the Lofoten ridge - peaks rising 1,500 meters or more directly from sea level. The inland south holds the high massif of Jotunheimen, with all 29 of Norway's peaks above 2,300 meters. The broader country of the Hardangervidda, Hallingskarvet and Dovrefjell consists of long open vidder (high plateaus) at 1,000-1,400 meters, less vertical but more sustained.
Cultural weight: the Norwegian relationship with the fjell is unusually old and unusually serious. The summer farms (seter) high in the mountain valleys, used for thousands of years as seasonal grazing for cattle and goats, defined Norwegian agricultural patterns until well into the twentieth century. The mountain hut network operated by the DNT dates to 1868 and is one of the oldest hiking infrastructures in the world. The Norwegian Mountain Code is taught to every Norwegian schoolchild.
For the international visitor, the practical implication is that the fjell is unusually accessible. Marked trails are extensive and well-maintained. The hut network sleeps thousands of independent walkers each summer. The right-to-roam applies fully. Most of our hiking and ski-touring trips spend significant time in the fjell - see our editorial at Sea to summit.