Gaustabanen

The Gaustabanen was built between 1953 and 1959 to serve a communications installation on Gaustatoppen, and it was classified for decades: a tram runs 850 metres horizontally into the mountain, then a cable car climbs 1,040 metres up a shaft at 39 degrees to a station just below the summit ridge, the whole journey taking about fifteen minutes. It opened to the public in 2010. From the upper station a short walk on rough ground reaches the summit at 1,883 metres, where a stone lodge stands and the view, on a genuinely clear day, is said to cover a sixth of Norway. It is the only way up the mountain that does not involve a two-hour boulder climb.

What you actually see

• The horizontal tram - a ride 850 metres into the mountain.
• The shaft cable car - a climb of over a kilometre inside the rock.
• The summit lodge - a stone hut just above the upper station.
• The plateau panorama - the view claimed to cover a sixth of the country.

When to go

June to September, the main operating season, with limited winter running; the railway closes for maintenance periods. Truly clear days are uncommon, so flexibility helps.

Honest expectations

Tickets are expensive and the summit is frequently in cloud, in which case the ride buys nothing. The walk from the upper station to the true summit is short but over rough boulders. Capacity is limited and queues form in summer.

Nearby

Rjukan, on the UNESCO industrial list, lies below; Hardangervidda spreads north.