Fjellvettreglene - literally the mountain-sense rules - are the nine principles that constitute the Norwegian Mountain Code. They were originally formulated after the 1967 Easter holiday in which sixteen people died in mountain accidents, and have been updated several times since. The current version is short, plain-language and unusually well-known: most Norwegian schoolchildren learn the rules by heart, and they appear at the trailhead of every major mountain route.
The nine rules: Plan your trip and report your route. Adapt the trip to the ability of the group and the conditions. Pay attention to the weather and the avalanche forecast. Be prepared for storms and cold, even on short trips. Bring the necessary equipment to help yourself and others. Choose safe routes; recognize avalanche terrain and ice conditions on lakes. Use a map and compass; know where you are. Turn around in time; there is no shame in turning back. Conserve energy and seek shelter if necessary.
The eighth rule - vend i tide, det er ingen skam å snu - is the most-quoted in Norwegian outdoor culture. It expresses something culturally specific: turning back from a planned summit because of weather or fatigue is not failure; it is a mark of competence. The rule is regularly invoked by Norwegian guides during conditions debriefings, and the corresponding social expectation is that travelers respect their own physical and weather limits.
For the international visitor on any serious mountain trip in Norway - ski-touring in the Lyngsalpene, hiking in Jotunheimen, walking the Hardangervidda - the Mountain Code is non-optional reading. The full English-language version is published by the DNT and is included in every trip pack we send out. It is short. Read it before the trip rather than after.