No, you have to order a guide when climbing Hornelen Via Ferrata. To climb Via Ferrata without the proper experience comes with serious risk. That is why all tours up Hornelen are guided. Your guide with show you the proper use of equipment, and help you when you face difficulties. Persons with climbing experience will get useful tips and tricks. Through local tales, culture and nature, your guide will help you see your surroundings with new eyes.
Access for climbers without guides from Hornelen Via Ferrata AS is forbidden.
No, it is not possible to climb the entire Hornelen Via Ferrata in one day. First you have to climb Wall of Witches, before facing Olavsroute on the next day or when returning another time. You do not climb Wall of Witches again when climbing Olavsroute.
No, this is not possible. You follow another path back to Hunskår, where the path on foot starts. If you want to reach the top and climb Wall of Witches on the sam eday, you should calculate 6 hours of climbing, before using 6-8 hours opp and down to the top. One should be in extremly good shape and have optimal weather conditions. Olavsroute is the only route going to the top.
No previous climbing or Via Ferrata experience is required to climb Eagle’s Side or Wall of Witches, but it is however an advantage. You should however be in shape and comfortable with heights, and perviosu experience is definitivly an advantage. For Olavsroute we recommend climbing experience or pervious experience with overhanging climbing. Everybody who climbs Olavsroute has to climb Wall of Witches first, precisely to gain more experience and so our guides can assess if the client is fitted.
No, but all Via Ferrata equipment is included in your guided trip. If you wish to use your own equipment, this is possible. Then it is your own responsability that the equipment is in order. The price is the same if one uses private equipment.
No, you have to climb Wall of Witches first, and hereby prove to our guides that you are in good enough shape and has enough experience to handle the challenges up Olavsroute. It is not possible to climb both routes on the same day, with this being to long and demanding.
Ørnelia/The Eagle’s Side is the shortest route and is graded as a B. It has ladders, planks and lots of grips and handles. It has short vertical sections, and the whoel route takes about 15-30 minutes, depending on group speed. If we have enough time, the trip can be lengthened to Smalsarhuken, for more views and steep stairs.
Hekseveggen/The Wall of Witches is graded to a D. It has climbing both downwards, upwards and sidewards. Vertical sections with overhang makes the route demanding, and the climbing takes about 2-3 hours. There are plenty of grips for hands and feet, but it can be demanding for some to shift the carabiners when holding on with one hand in overhanging sections.
Olavsroute is graded as an F for multiple reasons. Firstly, the exposure is impressive and unlike anything you have experienced before. You should definitly not be scared of heights and feel komfortable several hundreds of meters above the fjord. The approach is longer than to the Wall of Witches, and the route itself is also quite long. The vertical sections are more and longer than in the Wall of Witches. Under the top there are multiple, succesive, overhanging parts, which are finished off by 45 meters of overhanging climbing up a dieder. This is very demanding, even with gode holds for hands and feet. This takes sufficient amounts of strength, endurance and technique.
The Via Ferrata is buildt to handle rain. There are steel steps the whole way, so it is safe to climb even though the mountain is wet. If the weather is too rough or there is a change of lightning (which is rare in our region), we will cancel the trip. When we cancel your trip, you will be offered another date.