Beerenberg
2,277 m
Norway
Also known as Беренберг, Μπέερενμπεργκ, +2Also known as
Беренберг · Μπέερενμπεργκ · ბირენბერგი · Бееренберг
- Elevation
- 2,277 m
- Prominence
- 2,277 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 6 check notes
- danger scan: Kvalrossbukta → Nordlaguna: connector line 292 m (limit 200 m)
- 60% approximate geometry
- Kvalrossbukta → Nordlaguna: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 11.7 km)
- Nordlaguna → Kronprins Olavs Bre: glacier (snap_failed, 9.9 km)
- Kronprins Olavs Bre → Haakon VII Toppen: glacier (snap_failed, 5.5 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Nunatakken, Bratthenget, Beerenberg crater rim
The usual line of station staff and private expeditions: from the south-west coast over lava and side craters to Kronprins Olavs Bre, roped up from the Nunatakken outcrop (about 1,500 m) through crevassed slopes of up to 35° to the crater rim and Haakon VII Toppen. About 2,250 m of ascent from sea level, usually in one 18–24 hour push.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 27.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,424 m
- −150 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,277 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 11h 46m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 9h 26m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
There is no road, hut or regular transport: climbers arrive by private yacht or expedition vessel and land only where permitted, for example at Kvalrossbukta on the west coast, which lies outside the nature reserve, or with the station commander's permission. Camping inside the reserve is restricted to station staff and their guests, so the climb is usually done in a single push from the coast. Station staff often start from Ekerolddalen, which they can reach by vehicle. From the south-west the route crosses lava fields and the complex apron of side craters and gullies above Nordlaguna, usually in cloud between about 300 and 600 m, before emerging onto the gentle lower slopes of Kronprins Olavs Bre. At the Nunatakken rock outcrop (about 1,500 m) parties rope up and put on crampons. Above, the steepening upper cone (Bratthenget) is cut by wide crevasses; the line zig-zags around them on slopes of up to 35°, aiming for the upper right of the skyline, and climbs a steep final slope to the rim of the ice-filled crater, about 1 km across. Follow the rim west, up and down, to Haakon VII Toppen, a rounded ice and rock dome about 10 m above the rim reached by a short steep step. Descend the same way. The 2008 party took 18½ hours and about 32 km return from a camp above Nordlaguna; other parties report 20–24 hours from the shore. Weather is the main problem: the island is usually in fog and wind, and a forecast window may last only hours. There is no rescue service, doctor or medical evacuation on Jan Mayen.
Start
Kvalrossbukta0 m
- None. Access is only by private or chartered vessel (typically several days from Iceland or Norway); the airstrip is reserved for station supply flights.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kvalrossbukta → Haakon VII Toppen | 27.0 | 2,424 | 150 | 11h 46m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Kvalrossbukta0 m
Landing beach on the west coast, outside the nature reserve; landing depends on sea conditions
- Feature: Nordlaguna0 m
Lagoon below the south-west flank; the 2008 party camped on a hill above it
- Feature: Kronprins Olavs Bre985 m
Gentle lower glacier slopes
- Summit: Haakon VII Toppen2,277 m
Key Passages
- Cloud-covered apron of side craters and gullies above Nordlaguna
- Nunatakken (rope up)
- Crevassed Bratthenget slopes up to 35°
- Crater rim traverse to Haakon VII Toppen
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
The world's northernmost subaerial active volcano (2,277 m), a glacier-covered cone rising straight from the Arctic Ocean on Norway's remote island of Jan Mayen. Climbed from sea level in one long push, it is rarely attempted because of the weather, the logistics and strict landing rules.
Beerenberg forms the whole north-eastern end of Jan Mayen, an island about 50 km long between Iceland, Greenland and Svalbard. The volcano is a broad cone whose upper slopes are largely ice-covered, with an ice-filled summit crater about 1 km wide; five major glaciers reach the sea, the longest being Weyprechtbreen, which pours through a breach in the north-western crater rim. The highest point, Haakon VII Toppen, is a dome on the crater rim. Long thought extinct, it erupted from fissures on its north-east flank in 1970 and 1985, and is Norway's only active volcano.
The island has no permanent population, only the staff of a Norwegian weather and military station at Olonkinbyen, and almost all of it has been a nature reserve since 2010. There is no harbour, no public transport, no accommodation and no rescue service. Climbers arrive by private yacht or expedition ship, often after several days at sea, and may land only where permitted.
The climb itself is not technically hard: a long walk over lava and side craters, then a broad glacier steepening to about 35° near the top, with large crevasses. What makes it serious is the 2,250 m of ascent from sea level, the near-constant fog and wind, and the need to do it in a single push of 18–24 hours when a weather window opens. Ascents remain rare.
Climbing Notes
Treat Beerenberg as a small polar expedition. You need a capable vessel and skipper, an approved plan for going ashore, glacier-travel and crevasse-rescue skills, full arctic clothing and the fitness for an 18–24 hour push of over 2,000 m up and down. Experienced local leadership (for example former station staff) has been key to most private ascents.
Allow several days on the island to wait for weather: forecasts are unreliable, the mountain is usually in cloud, and a window may last only hours. A ring of cloud around the lower slopes sometimes hides clear skies above. Navigate by GPS on a pre-loaded track, rope up from Nunatakken, and turn back if the weather closes in on the upper glacier, as whiteouts there make crevasse navigation very difficult. Carry a satellite phone; there is no doctor, hospital or rescue on Jan Mayen, and evacuation depends on your own vessel. Water is scarce: bring a stove to melt snow.
History
Jan Mayen was sighted in the early 17th century and named after the Dutch whaling captain Jan Jacobsz May; Dutch whalers named the mountain 'bear mountain' after the polar bears they saw there. An Austrian attempt, probably during the 1882–83 polar year station, failed in bad weather. The first ascent was made on 11 August 1921 by the Swiss meteorologist Paul-Louis Mercanton, the British geologist and polar explorer James Wordie and the naturalist Thomas Lethbridge, from a camp near Eldste Metten via Ekerold Valley; it is uncertain whether they stood on Haakon VII Toppen or only reached the crater rim. The Norwegian weather station has operated since 1921. For decades ascents were made almost only by station staff; the first foreign tourists reached the summit on 30 June 2008. On 21 August 2021 a centenary party climbed it from Båtvika by the south-west buttress, a 70 km round trip of about 36 hours, because the 1921 glacier line was blocked by crevasses.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Polar night; pack ice and storms
- Feb
- Polar winter
- Mar
- Winter storms; sea access impractical
- Apr
- Winter conditions
- May
- Long daylight; sea crossings still rough
- Jun
- 24-hour daylight; snow bridges over crevasses still good
- Jul
- Most reliable sailing and climbing window
- Aug
- More open crevasses; storms increase late in the month
- Sep
- Autumn storms; shortening days
- Oct
- Storms; little daylight
- Nov
- Polar night approaching
- Dec
- Polar night
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Permission to go ashore in Jan Mayen Nature ReserveRequired
Under the 2010 nature reserve regulation, nobody may go ashore within the reserve without permission from the station commander; other exemptions (for example for scientific reasons) are granted by the administrative authority. Small areas at Olonkinbyen, Kvalrossbukta and Båtvika lie outside the reserve.
lovdata.no
- Rules
- Camping and tents inside the nature reserve are permitted only for station employees and their visitors
- Aircraft may not land in the reserve; from 1 April to 31 August aircraft must keep 1 nautical mile from bird and mammal concentrations and loud noise is banned near bird cliffs
- Cultural heritage from 1945 or earlier, graves and whale bones are protected; littering is prohibited
- Motor vehicles are limited to station use on marked roads and tracks
- Violations can be punished with fines or up to one year's imprisonment
- Getting There
Olonkinbyen (weather station, no visitor services); nearest towns are on Iceland's north coast (e.g. Dalvík, Akureyri)
Akureyri (AEY), Iceland, as the usual departure area for yachts; the Jan Mayen airstrip is closed to private traffic
- Private or chartered sailing vessel from north Iceland or mainland Norway (several days each way)
- Occasional expedition cruise ships call but do not normally allow time for an ascent
- Landing is weather-dependent; there are no harbours and only a few permitted landing bays
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Weather
- Remoteness
- Volcanic activity