Stetind

Stetind rises 1,392 metres straight out of the Tysfjord as a squared-off granite pillar with near-vertical sides, and in 2002 a national vote chose it as Norway's national mountain. It is not a walking peak: the normal route is a graded rock climb requiring rope, harness and experience, including a traverse known as Mysosten, a knife-edge of rock with a thousand-metre drop on either side that is crossed astride. The first ascent came in 1910 after several failed attempts. For everyone else, a designed viewpoint and rest area on the E6 below gives the full profile, and the mountain is also seen from the fjord and from the Hamaroy side. Guided ascents run in a short summer season.

What you actually see

• The granite obelisk - a squared vertical pillar rising from the fjord.
• The E6 viewpoint - a designed rest area facing the mountain.
• The Mysosten traverse - the notorious knife-edge on the climbing route.
• The Tysfjord setting - deep water directly below the north face.

When to go

July and August for the climb, the only reliable window; the viewpoint is accessible year-round though the peak is often in cloud. Long summer daylight makes a full climbing day possible.

Honest expectations

The summit is a technical climb, not a hike, and people have died attempting it unequipped. Guides are essential without climbing experience. From the road the mountain is frequently hidden by low cloud, which is common on this coast.

Nearby

Narvik lies north; the Lofoten ferry at Bognes and Hamaroy are close along the E6.