The Highest Sea Cliff in Europe
Hornelen Via Ferrata is a climbing route scaling Europe’s highest sea cliff, located in Bremanger, Nordfjord.
Via Ferrata comes from the Italian “iron road”, because of the iron steps, hoops and grips attached to the mountain. This has been done in the Alps for a long time, first to establish transportation routes of the mountains, but now for leisure.
The mountain, Hornelen, towers 860 meters above Skatestraumen, and is an iconic mountain in Nordfjord and also in Norwegian context. The old stories tell us about Viking King Olav Trygvasson, who climbed the wall around the year 1000. It is believed that Hornelen is the first established climbing route in Norway. Hornelen is also a gathering point for witches and other creatures all year, but especially during midsummer’s night. Among the locals, Hornelen is also called Smalsarhorn, due to its characteristic horn when you see the mountain profile from the north or south.
Via Ferrata in Norway: 3 difficulty levels
Hornelen Via Ferrata organized guided tours up Hornelen. All tours have small group sizes, to increase safety and the good vibes.
We have the perfect tour for everyone, ranging between easy to challenging. The guide ensures your safety and knows the way on the back of his hand!
All our guided tour start by walking along the fjord and up to the starting point: the introduction climbing wall. This is the part of the route where you will get instructions and start the actual thrill of Via Ferrata climbing in Norway! The introduction wall is included in most of our guided tours, and is graded B difficulty level.
The Wall of Witches (also known as Hekseveggen) is the part after the introduction wall, and offers airy climbing, both vertically and horizontally, as well as overhang. This one’s for you who want more of a challenge, with a moderate degree of difficulty. The route ends in Smalsarhuken, where you start on the return hike after devouring your lunch and the views. If you caught the bug during your trip, one simply has to return another day to try Olavsrute all the way to the top! The Wall of Witches does not end on the top of Hornelen.
The Wall of Witches Light tour is, as the name suggests, an easier version of the Hekseveggen tour, while still keeping the adrenaline-rush of via ferrata climbing. It is perfect for families and friend groups who want to try via ferrata!
Olavsrute scales the entire mountain, from the shore to the very top of the mountain. This is for people who really want to feel alive. You walk directly to Smalsarhuken, before commencing on the push to the summit, after a quick break. Here you get multiple vertical sections, a dangle of benches hanging in the mountain wall and finally conquering the summit of Europe’s highest sea cliff! 45 meters of overhanging climbing awaits you. This route is graded as F. The return from the top is longer and more strenuous than the return from Wall of Witches, but it is in great nature. Anyone who wants to climb Olavsrute must first climb the Wall of Witches to ensure you are fit enough to complete Olavsrute.
