Maintenance fee

Do you want to climb Hornelen Via Ferrata without a guide? Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into first!

How do I climb without a guide?

Anyone who wants to climb in the route without a guide needs to:

• Book a time slot and pay a maintenance fee. The fee goes to maintaining the routes.
• Know the risks of climbing without a guide. All climbing without a guide is at your own risk.

Pay attention to the following

• During peak-season between June and A ugust, anyone who climbs without a guide, needs to start after 11:30 AM. This is to avoid queues on the routes.
• During the shoulder-season in May, September and October, you can choose when you want to start climbing yourself.
• The fee is valid for a day, and one is free to use all the routes.
• You have to be 18 years or older to climb alone without a guide, or 14 years or older if accompanied by an adult.
• We recommend only experienced climbers to climb without a guide. The Wall of Witches and Olavsrute are challenging routes, with demanding rescue situations if accidents happen. If you are unsure, book a guided tour.
  

Route description: The trail is poorly marked, and you should be able to orient yourself well in the countryside if you go without a guide. Start on the usual hiking trail up Hornelen. 10-15 meters up the Sherpa stairs, there is a path to the left. Follow this for 50 minutes. If in doubt, keep left. Follow fjellhammaren until you meet Ørnelia, where the trail starts.

At the top of Ørnelia, there is a path straight up and then to the left, about 100m. There you meet the Witch’s Wall. Continue to the left of the stairs if you’re climbing the Witch Wall, take the stairs up if you’re climbing Olavsrute. The path from Hekseveggen to the shelter is marked with a rough mark on the tree. The shelter is to the left of the second set of stairs you have climbed, if you come from below. Olavsrute starts 100 meters above the shelter, the cabel is clearly visible from below.