The Sun Never Shines in This Norwegian Ice Climbing Mecca

Norway in February is a lot like what you’d expect. Snow and ice-covered roads. Short, cold days. Long, cold nights. Endless forested mountains with sharply serrated interludes.

But I did not expect there to be so much ice.

In Rjukan, a town of 3,000 located three hours from the capital of Oslo, there are over 200 ice and mixed routes, up to 800 meters long, ranging from mellow WI2 flows to some of the hardest pure ice in Europe. Many of the routes are multi-pitch, and many can be accessed within 10 minutes of walking from your car.

As someone who lives in the ice mecca of the Canadian Rockies, I thought I’d seen what a “high concentration” of ice means. But drive through the tight, shaded valley of Rjukan in February and you’ll kink your neck eight ways at once trying to glimpse all the ice available to you. Crucially, there is a nearly endless supply of ice for beginners and intermediates—a WI2-4 climber’s delight.

I visited Rjukan earlier this month to attend the Norrøna Ice Festival. Climbers from all over came to sample this world-class area—Italy, Poland, the United States, Scotland—and the Europeans in particular remarked at how reliable Norwegian ice seemed to be relative to the rest of the continent. It makes sense: Norway is famously cold, famously wet, and, for roughly half the year, the town of Rjukan sees exactly zero direct sunlight. That is a sure-fire recipe for fantastic ice climbing.

If you yearn to feel some sunlight on your face, drop in to the Rjukan town square on a clear day. In 2013, the municipality installed three giant mirrors on the north side of the valley, which are powered by solar and rotate to reflect the sun’s rays down into town.

I’ve been to a number of climbing festivals over the years—from Squamish to Spain, New Hampshire to Norway—and I found the Norrøna fest to be refreshingly unique. Rjukan is a bit of a backwoods town and just getting there is a minor hassle—especially for the many participants who are internationals and fly into Oslo. As a result, Norrøna offers a “full package” festival experience. The organizers told me and every other participant how to get from our arrival gates to their head office, fed us a three-course dinner, and let us climb at their gym (which rivals any mega gym I’ve ever visited), before schlepping us to Rjukan.

Whether you’re considering visiting the Norrøna Ice Festival next year or just want to go experience this dark and dreamy valley of ice yourself, here are some tips I picked up from my trip.

Watch festival guide Heike Schmitt climb Juvsøyla (WI5/6), in Rjukan. Credit: Jonas Paulsson

Planning your own climbing trip to Rjukan, Norway

When to go

• Ice can form as early as October/November, but mid-December to early March is the most reliable time to visit.

The best crags and climbs

• For a high-concentration of single-pitch ice and mixed, climbers should check out the Krokan area. It has numerous ice lines from WI2-5 and mixed routes all the way up to M10.
• Juvsøyla (WI5/6) is an excellent multi-pitch adventure, best accessed by rappelling in from above and climbing the 70-meter crux pillar in two pitches.
• To really test your limits—or simply ogle at a route that has graced many a magazine and movie—try Lipton (WI7), named for the tea colour its hanging daggers resemble.

How to get to Rjukan

• The most practical option is to fly to the Oslo airport and rent a car. The roads in Rjukan can be coated in ice, so keep that in mind when selecting a rental car (I’d get one with studded tires).
• You can also bus from Oslo to Rjukan—but be prepared for 30 minutes to 2+ hours of walking from your accommodation to the various crags.

Where to stay

• Rjukan Old School Hostel is the longstanding climber’s hostel in town. It offers both shared and private rooms.
• For those seeking nicer digs—and an excellent breakfast—check out Rjukan Hotell.

Rest-day activities

• Backcountry skiing on the nearby Gaustatoppen, purported to be one of Norway’s most beautiful mountains.
• Visit the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum—wait! It’s actually cool! During World War II, the area’s heavy water (deuterium oxide, essential for the atomic chain reaction) was used by the Nazis to build an atomic bomb, so Allied soldiers attacked the factory by foot and air, successfully sabotaging the heavy water cylinders.

A note on fossen

Norway’s high-flow waterfalls, or fossen, are a sight to behold. But be warned, as I was by pro climber Matthias Scherer: these wet lines can be an absolute nightmare to descend, since freezing conditions will turn rappel ropes into thick, icy cables. Make sure to bring ropes with a fresh dry treatment.

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