Hjortahorgi
1,351 m
Norway
- Elevation
- 1,351 m
- Prominence
- 1,103 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: YDS class 2 (westcoastpeaks.com; prominent-mountains.no)
A long day on the Gråsida plateau south of Voss: T-marked DNT paths from Hodnaberg (about 590 m) past Torfinnsheim towards Nansenbu, then off-trail along the west side of Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet, a wade across its outlet and an easy rocky ascent to the summit cairn. Roughly 9–11 hours round trip; many parties split it with a night at Torfinnsheim.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 12.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +993 m
- −236 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,351 m
- Time Up
- 5h 19m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 26m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Park at Hodnaberg (free parking, about 590 m) near the east end of Hamlagrøvatnet. A T-marked path climbs about 280 m in 2 km to the unstaffed DNT hut Torfinnsheim (892 m) beside the Torfinnsvatnet reservoir, a good hour's walk. From Torfinnsheim follow the T-marked route east over Gråsida towards Nansenbu (about 1,190 m). Shortly before Nansenbu leave the path and work south along the west side of Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet (about 1,120 m); the outlet river has to be waded, and the steep slopes above the lake are harder when snow-covered. From the lake shore the final ascent of the north-west side to the cairn is straightforward on rock and old snow. An alternative used by Petter Bjørstad goes along the west shore of Torfinnsvatnet to its southern arm, Blindtarmen, then east along a rocky ridge with many small ups and downs. The terrain is rough and bumpy throughout and many glaciers shown on older maps have gone. Allow 9–11 hours round trip from Hodnaberg without long breaks; with an overnight at Torfinnsheim the summit day from the hut is about 8 hours. Descend the same way, or traverse 1.8 km east along the high ridge to Skjemmehorgi and pick up the marked trail east of it. A memorial cairn on the plateau recalls four reindeer hunters who died of cold and wind here in early September 1950.
Start
Hodnaberg590 m
- Train (Bergen Line) to Voss. Buses to Hodnaberg are very limited; ut.no refers to entur.no. A car is the practical option.
- Parking at the trailhead
Waypoints
- Parking: Hodnaberg590 m
- Hut: Torfinnsheim893 m
- Hut: Nansenbu1,185 m
Leave the marked trail shortly before the hut
- Feature: Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet1,119 m
Follow the west shore; wade the outlet river
- Summit: Hjortahorgi1,351 m
Key Passages
- T-marked path Hodnaberg–Torfinnsheim
- Gråsida plateau towards Nansenbu
- West shore of Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet and outlet wade
- North-west flank to the summit cairn
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
The high point of the rough, lake-strewn plateau between Voss and Hardangerfjorden, and one of only two summits in the old Hordaland county with more than 1,000 m of prominence. It is a long day off-trail, with a view over most of western Norway's ice caps.
Hjortahorgi (1,351 m) rises from a broad granite plateau south of Voss, ringed by the Torfinnsvatnet and Torfinnsdalsvatnet lakes. There is nothing higher between it and the North Sea, so its 1,103 m of prominence buys a very wide view: Folgefonna, Hardangerjøkulen, Fresvikbreen and most of the mountains of central Hordaland can be seen from the cairn. From a distance it hardly stands out; its neighbours Skjemmehorgi (1,350 m, 1.8 km east) and Torfinnshorgi (1,343 m) look much the same, and older maps even gave Skjemmehorgi as the higher top.
The usual approach uses the Voss Utferdslag (DNT) hut network: a short T-marked climb from Hodnaberg to Torfinnsheim, then marked paths over Gråsida towards Nansenbu before a long off-trail section past Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet. The going is bumpy and slow, with constant small ups and downs, boulder fields and slabs. Many of the glaciers still drawn on maps have disappeared.
The annual Vossamarsjen hike crosses the plateau on the marked trail just east of Skjemmehorgi, and fit walkers sometimes add the summits as a detour.
Climbing Notes
Technically easy (YDS class 2, roughly T3) but long: 9–11 hours round trip from Hodnaberg without long breaks, about 25–30 km with 1,300–1,550 m of ascent depending on the line. Splitting the trip with a night at Torfinnsheim (28 beds, open all year, unstaffed) or Nansenbu (10 beds) makes it a comfortable two-day outing. Be ready to wade the outlet of Stora Torfinnsdalsvatnet and to navigate in fog without a path. Snow lingers on the plateau into July; in late spring and summer the steep lakeside slopes can be awkward when snow-covered. In winter the area is a ski-touring destination, but beware thin ice on the regulated Torfinnsvatnet reservoir.
History
No first-ascent record exists; reindeer hunters and summer-farm herders have used the plateau for centuries. A cairn with a plaque on the plateau commemorates four reindeer hunters who died of cold and wind in early September 1950. Nansenbu, the small hut north of Torfinnsdalsvatnet, is named after Fridtjof Nansen, who by local tradition hunted and trained here before his Greenland crossing.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Short days, deep snow and storms
- Feb
- Ski touring only; navigation and avalanche skills needed
- Mar
- Ski touring; route Hodnaberg–Torfinnsheim–Gråsida is marked with poles just before Easter
- Apr
- Spring ski touring; regulated reservoir ice can be unsafe
- May
- Rotten snow on the plateau; neither good skiing nor hiking
- Jun
- Much snow left above 1,100 m; high streams
- Jul
- Main hiking season
- Aug
- Best conditions; least snow
- Sep
- Hunting season and early snow; weather can turn dangerous
- Oct
- First snow and icy slabs; short days
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Torfinnsheim (24 of 28 beds bookable) and Nansenbu (8 of 10 beds bookable) are unstaffed Voss Utferdslag (DNT) huts, booked via hyttebestilling.dnt.no; DNT members pay reduced rates.
- Getting There
Voss
Bergen Airport Flesland (BGO)
- Train on the Bergen Line to Voss, about 1 h 15 min from Bergen
- By car from Voss to the free car park at Hodnaberg near the east end of Hamlagrøvatnet
- Public transport to Hodnaberg is very limited; check entur.no
Hazards
- Weather
- Remoteness
- River crossing
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
2- 892 m
- 1,190 m