Hurrungane

Hurrungane is the sharpest part of Jotunheimen, a compact massif of twenty-three summits above two thousand metres whose profiles are spires and knife ridges rather than the rounded domes further east. Store Skagastolstind, 2,405 metres and known as Storen, is its high point and the most celebrated climb in Norway, first ascended by William Cecil Slingsby alone in 1876 and still a proper roped route requiring rock skills. The hotel at Turtagro on the Sognefjell road has been the base since the 1880s and effectively founded Norwegian alpinism; it burned in 2001 and was rebuilt. Easier objectives exist, including Fannaraken with the highest staffed lodge in northern Europe at 2,068 metres.

Highlights

• The spire peaks - twenty-three summits above two thousand metres.
• Store Skagastolstind - Norway's classic climb, requiring rope and skill.
• Turtagro - the historic climbing base on the Sognefjell road.
• Fannaraken - a staffed lodge at 2,068 metres, the highest in northern Europe.

When to go

July to September for climbing and walking, once snow has left the routes; the Sognefjell road opens roughly May and closes with the first heavy snow. Spring is a ski-touring season for those with the skills.

Good to know

Most of the summits here are climbs, not hikes, and Storen requires a guide unless you are an experienced alpinist. Rockfall and rapid weather changes are constant risks. Accommodation is limited to Turtagro and the mountain lodges, both of which book out.

Nearby

The Sognefjell road runs past to Lom; Vettisfossen and Utladalen lie south, the Lustrafjord west.

Key facts