SummitClimbs Field Note: Store Skagastølstind, known simply as Storen, is Norway’s third-highest mountain at 2,405 m (7,890 ft) and the highest peak in Western Norway. It is also the only one of Norway’s three highest mountains that requires real climbing even by its easiest route. Galdhøpiggen and Glittertind are long hikes; Storen is a mountaineering objective. This is not a walk-up, and it is not a peak for strong hikers without rope skills.
Why Storen Belongs on a Norway Mountain Plan
Storen rises on the border between Luster and Årdal in Vestland, in the sharp-edged Hurrungane range of Jotunheimen. It is the southernmost summit of the Skagastølstindane ridge, with Vetle and Midtre Skagastølstind to the north and Sentraltind and Gjertvasstind to the east. Its rocky, alpine profile is a world away from the rounded, glacier-draped giants further east.
For a long time Storen was thought to be a candidate for Norway’s highest mountain, until surveys in 1836 and 1842 showed that Galdhøpiggen is higher. It was also long considered unclimbable. When it finally fell in 1876, the ascent was hailed as a major achievement, and Storen became the symbol of the golden age of Norwegian mountaineering. The historic Turtagrø hotel, the traditional base for climbing in Hurrungane, grew up around that era.
The SummitClimbs Snapshot
- Height: 2,405 m (7,890 ft); recent Norwegian sources give 2,403.7 m
- Rank: Third-highest mountain in Norway, highest in Western Norway
- Prominence: 1,024 m
- Location: Border of Luster and Årdal, Vestland; Hurrungane, Jotunheimen
- First ascent: William Cecil Slingsby, alone, 21 July 1876
- Normal route today: The Heftye route (Heftyes renne), found in 1880
- Other classic lines: Andrews renne (1899); the Skagastøl Traverse (first done 1902)
- Traditional base: Turtagrø, by the Sognefjellet road
- Who it suits: Experienced mountaineers comfortable with exposed rock, snow and rope work
The Climbing History
Slingsby, 1876
The English climber William Cecil Slingsby set out with Emanuel Mohn and Knut Lykken after a hard approach. His companions stopped, and Slingsby went on to reach the summit alone on 21 July 1876. Harald Petersen made the second ascent by Slingsby’s route in 1878.
Heftye, 1880
In 1880 Johannes Heftye and local climbers found a different line, Heftyes renne, which became the normal route used by most parties today. The story behind it is a famous Norwegian mountaineering rivalry. Heftye had made the first ascent of Store Knutsholstind the year before and felt Slingsby’s Storen climb overshadowed it, so he played down his own Storen route to argue that Knutsholstind was just as serious. Later, Marie Sønstenes, who lived near Store Knutsholstind, showed Slingsby a straightforward way up that peak. Heftye, who was outspoken against women in the mountains, was deeply offended.
Andrews renne and the Skagastøl Traverse
The couloir Andrews renne is named after A. W. Andrews, whose party used it for its first ascent in 1899. On 5 August 1902, George Wegner Paus, Harold Raeburn, Kristian Lous and Kristian Tandberg made the first Skagastøl Traverse along the whole ridge, still one of the most demanding climbing routes in Norway. Later milestones include the south face in 1927 and the west face in 1976.
Route Reality and Local Conditions
Most ascents follow the Heftye route. Expect a full mountain day from Turtagrø, with steep snow early in the season and more loose rock later in summer once the snow melts out. Even on the normal route you are climbing, not hiking: you need to be comfortable placing protection or moving roped on exposed ground, and you need a clear plan for the descent, because reversing a couloir is often more awkward than climbing it.
The weather in Hurrungane changes fast. Storen is high and exposed enough that cloud and wind can turn an easy-looking day serious in an hour. Check the mountain forecast on yr.no, start early, and set a turnaround time you will actually respect.
What to Watch For
Exposure and route choice
Know exactly which line you are climbing and how you will get down. The upper couloir steepens, and loose rock is a hazard, especially later in the season.
Rockfall and other parties
Storen is popular by Norwegian alpine standards, and on a fine summer weekend you will share the route. Wear a helmet, move efficiently and avoid climbing directly below other parties.
Snow and ice
Snow can linger late into summer and become hard ice in cool seasons. Bring an ice axe and crampons as well as a rope, harness and helmet, and know how to use them.
Navigation
Cloud can close in without warning. Study the line from below in clear weather, carry a GPS track, and don’t rely on phone coverage.
The SummitClimbs Take
Store Skagastølstind is a classic for good reason: a genuine alpine day in a spectacular setting, on routes that have tested climbers for almost 150 years. It is not a mountain for the unprepared, but for those with the skills and the discipline to read conditions honestly, it is one of Norway’s most satisfying summits. Come for the climbing, the history and the views across Jotunheimen’s wildest ridges, and treat Storen with the respect it demands.
Facts from Wikipedia (Store Skagastølstind) and Norwegian Wikipedia (Storen). Always check current conditions before you go.
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