Store Skagastølstind
2,406 m
Norway
Also known as StorenAlso known as
Storen
- Elevation
- 2,406 m
- Prominence
- 1,014 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- 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? 5 check notes
- danger scan: Skagastølsbu → Store Skagastølstind: connector line 156 m above the last hut/bivouac
- last routed vertex 156 m from the summit (closed by connector)
- Turtagrø → Skagastølsbreen: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 6.6 km)
- Skagastølsbreen → Skagastølsbu: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 1.4 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Skagadalshytta, Hjørnet, Heftyes renne
Sources differ: PD (Camptocamp (4b crux)) · AD+ (SummitPost (via search summary)) · Norwegian 4 (also given as 4- and 4+) (Peakbook, westcoastpeaks.com)
The classic way up Storen, Norway's highest summit that needs a rope: a long approach from Turtagrø (884 m) up Skagadalen and across Skagastølsbreen to the Bandet saddle (1,758 m), a scramble up slabs on the south flank to Hjørnet, then about 90 m of exposed climbing with a short Norwegian grade 4 entry move into Heftyes renne. Abseil descent; 10–14 hours return.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 8.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,559 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,406 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 6h 22m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 4h 20m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Turtagrø Hotel on the Sognefjellsvegen follow the marked DNT path south-east into Skagadalen, past Norsk Tindeklubb's private Skagadalshytta (about 1,344 m) and Skagastølsvatnet, then over demanding moraine and scree and across the Skagastølsbreen glacier to Bandet (1,758 m), the saddle between Skagadalen and Midtmaradalen with the stone emergency shelter Skagastølsbu. Allow 2–3 hours. Late in the season a bergschrund can make the step from the glacier onto Bandet awkward, and an icy glacier may need crampons and an ice axe. Above Bandet the route is unmarked apart from small cairns: climb the south flank to a zone of slabs (put helmets on here and keep fairly far left, even if a line straight up looks tempting), then traverse up and right to the shoulder of Hjørnet ('the Corner'), where parties rope up about 90 m below the summit. From here the route moves out onto the exposed east face, hundreds of metres above Slingsbybreen and Midtmaradalen. Ledges (grade 2) and grade 3 climbing via the Galleriet lead to a sheltered ledge below Heftyes renne, a narrow, dark chimney-gully, often cold and wet, whose entry move is graded Norwegian 4 (some sources give 4- or 4+); an old bolt or a partner's shoulder helps. Above it, grade 2 scrambling over a small fore-summit and slabs leads to the top. Vigdals sva and Tandbergs renne (both 3+) and Andrews' renne (3+, three rope lengths starting just below Hjørnet) are the main alternatives and help avoid queues. Guides typically climb 4–5 short pitches in 1–2 hours from Hjørnet. Descend by abseil from chained anchors just below the summit back towards Hjørnet: 40–55 m depending on the source, so carry two 50 m ropes. Then downclimb the ridge to Bandet and return to Turtagrø. Norgesguidene give 2–3 hours to Bandet, 3–5 hours from Bandet to the summit and 4–5 hours back down, usually 10–14 hours in total. Rockfall, much of it knocked down by other parties on the looser ground above the slabs, is the main objective hazard, and polished or wet slabs quickly become unpleasant; in August up to 50 climbers may be on the summit in a day, with long queues at Hjørnet.
Start
Turtagrø883 m
- Seasonal buses over the Sognefjellsvegen and via Tindevegen stop at Turtagrø in summer.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turtagrø → Store Skagastølstind | 8.8 | 1,559 | 36 | 6h 22m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Turtagrø883 m
- Feature: Skagastølsbreen1,588 m
Glacier crossing below Bandet; possible bergschrund late in the season
- Bivouac: Skagastølsbu1,756 m
On the Bandet saddle; emergency shelter only
- Summit: Store Skagastølstind2,406 m
Key Passages
- Skagastølsbreen and the step onto Bandet
- Slab zone on the south flank
- Hjørnet
- Heftyes renne (crux)
- Abseil from the summit
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
Storen (2,406 m), the steep rock spire of the Hurrungane above Turtagrø and Norway's third-highest mountain, is the highest Norwegian summit that needs a rope. Its normal route is a 10–14 hour day with a glacier approach, slabs and a short, exposed grade 4 climb.
Store Skagastølstind, universally called Storen ('the big one'), is the culminating point of the Hurrungane, the jagged, glaciated western group of Jotunheimen above the Sognefjord. It rises as a steep tower from the Skagastøl ridge, with Skagastølsbreen to the west and Slingsbybreen to the east, and on every side the final 100 m are genuine rock climbing. It is Norway's third-highest mountain and the country's most famous alpine summit.
The normal route starts at the historic Turtagrø Hotel on the Sognefjellsvegen. A marked path and a glacier crossing lead in 2–3 hours to Bandet, a saddle with an old stone emergency shelter; above it unmarked slabs lead to Hjørnet, where parties rope up for about 90 m of exposed climbing, the hardest move graded Norwegian 4. The descent is by abseil. The whole day takes 10–14 hours with about 1,520 m of ascent, much of it on scree and boulders.
Storen is extremely popular in summer: in August up to 50 people in private rope teams can reach the summit in a day, and queues at Hjørnet and rockfall from parties above are the main problems. Many climbers go with a mountain guide based at Turtagrø.
Climbing Notes
This is a serious alpine day. You need very good fitness for 12–15 hours on rough terrain with about 1,520 m of ascent, sure-footedness on scree and slabs, a head for heights, and the ability to climb Norwegian grade 3–4 in boots and abseil. Unguided parties need experience of multi-pitch climbing, route-finding on unmarked slabs and glacier travel; carry two 50 m ropes for the abseil. A helmet is essential because of rockfall.
Norgesguidene, based at Turtagrø, run guided ascents from late May to early September, meeting the evening before and starting around 05:00; they suggest a less demanding guided climb such as Store Austabotntind first for those unsure of their level. Snow early in the season (until about mid July in recent years) eases some passages; new summer snow and rain make the slabs and gullies much harder. July is quieter than August.
Skagastølsbu at Bandet is an emergency shelter only, not regular overnight accommodation, and lies in the strictest protection zone of Jotunheimen National Park; plan to do the climb in a single day from Turtagrø.
History
Long thought unclimbable, Storen was first climbed on 21 July 1876 by the English mountaineer William Cecil Slingsby, who completed the last part alone after his companions Emanuel Mohn and Knut Lykken stopped about 150 m below the summit; the notch where they waited is now Mohns skar. Its 150th anniversary was marked by climbers in July 2026. Harald Petersen made the second ascent in 1878, and Johannes Heftye's party opened Heftyes renne, today's most popular finish, on 14 August 1880. The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) built the first hut on Bandet in 1890; it was blown away the same winter, rebuilt in stone in 1894 and renamed Skagastølsbu in 1949. The Turtagrø Hotel, base for Hurrungane climbing since 1888, burned down in January 2001 and reopened in 2002.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; Sognefjellsvegen closed; winter ascents only for expert alpinists
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter; ski mountaineering in the Hurrungane for experts
- Apr
- Spring snow; ski mountaineering
- May
- Guiding season can start at the end of May; much snow on the approach
- Jun
- Snow on the approach and above Bandet; fewer people
- Jul
- Good conditions, residual snow eases the approach; quieter than August
- Aug
- Peak season; queues and rockfall from other parties
- Sep
- Early September possible; first snow; bergschrund below Bandet can be awkward; Turtagrø Hotel closes mid September
- Oct
- Wintry conditions
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Stay at the Turtagrø Hotel (book via turtagro.no; open until 14 September in 2026). Guided ascents are booked with Norgesguidene, whose guides are based at Turtagrø all summer.
- Fees
- Guided ascents with Norgesguidene/Turtagrø are paid; booking requires a deposit (NOK 1,800 in the 2021 FAQ)
- Tindevegen between Øvre Årdal and Turtagrø is a toll road
- Rules
- Skagastølsbu (Hytta på Bandet) is an emergency shelter only; regular overnight stays are not permitted for fire-safety reasons
- Bandet lies in the strictest protection zone of Jotunheimen National Park
- Skagadalshytta belongs to Norsk Tindeklubb and is for members and their guests only
- Do not touch the summit cairn or knock loose rock onto parties below
- Getting There
Turtagrø (hotel) / Skjolden
Sogndal (SOG); Bergen (BGO) for international flights
- By car on Fv55 Sognefjellsvegen between Lom and Sogndal (closed in winter), or via the Tindevegen toll road from Øvre Årdal; parking at Turtagrø
- Seasonal summer buses run over the Sognefjellsvegen between Otta/Lom and Sogndal, and via Tindevegen to Turtagrø
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Glacier
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 884 m
TurtagrøHotelStaffed
Summer season; open for overnight stays until 14 September in 2026
- 1,758 m
SkagastølsbuBivouacUnstaffed
Emergency shelter only; no regular overnight stays