Climbing Galdhøpiggen in spring is a completely different mountain

Almost everything written about Galdhøpiggen describes the summer hike. Here's what nobody tells you about going earlier.

In May the ascent from Juvasshytta is a ski tour, not a hike. You go on randonnée or touring skis with skins on the bases, and the reason is safety: skis spread your weight across a much larger area than boots do, which matters enormously on a glacier with big crevasses underneath you.

These are not the skis most people have used. If your experience is downhill or cross-country, touring skis will feel wrong. The heel is free, the bases are slippery in a way you won't expect, and going downhill on them is a distinct skill. I have done both downhill and cross-country and I still fell repeatedly, both getting onto the glacier and getting off it.

The guide can send you back. Mine was clear before we set off: if at any point he judged I couldn't manage it, I'd be going down. That's not unreasonable and it's worth knowing before you book, because turning up with no relevant ski experience risks losing the day.

The one piece of advice that worked: bend your knees. It became my mantra zigzagging down the glacier while Norwegians who appear to have been born on skis went past.

Snow cover is on this mountain for most of the year. Spring and early summer are considered excellent ski touring conditions. If you want to walk it, that's late June to early September.

The two routes

From Juvasshytta (around 1,850 m). Shorter and far less ascent, but it crosses the Styggebreen glacier, and that crossing is roped and guided. You need a guide unless you have genuine glacier experience and equipment of your own. Typically 5 to 7 hours return in summer. Guided tours are run from the Juvasshytta lodge and booked directly with them.

From Spiterstulen (around 1,100 m). No glacier. Roughly 13 km round trip with over 1,400 m of ascent, taking 7 to 10 hours. Physically much harder, but you can do it independently in good summer conditions, and it's the route to pick if you want no guide and no rope.

Both huts are on the same road. The easier route is the one with the glacier; the harder route is the one you can do alone. That trade-off is the whole decision.

Getting there, and the bus problem

This is the practical thing that caught me out and it's the most useful line on this page.

Bus 202 runs from Lom to Juvasshytta and Spiterstulen in summer only. In my case, roughly June through August. In May there is no bus. I found this out after arriving in Lom at 1:30 in the morning.

Local tourism staff told me hitchhiking was normal and would work. It did, eventually: two cars passed, then a van of Swedes took me most of the way, then a Norwegian also heading up for a ski tour took me the rest. Getting back afterwards meant another 15 km on the road with my thumb out.

If you're driving: Juvasshytta is about 15 km, roughly 25 minutes, off Route 55, the Sognefjellet scenic road. It's a steep toll road with automatic plate recognition; pay at the machines by the car park or online afterwards. Recent rates have been in the region of 150 NOK for a car and 200 for a camper.

Nearest station is Otta, about 100 km away. Lom is the last town for supplies.

Book the guided tour and your accommodation in advance, especially in peak season.

What to take

Standard mountain kit, plus two things people forget:

Sunscreen, and a lot of it. You are on snow and ice, at altitude, with light reflecting up at you from every direction. This is the single most underestimated item on a spring glacier day.

Food you'll actually eat. It's a long day with a real energy cost, and the descent is where being under-fuelled shows up.

The ski gear itself can be rented locally, which is what I did.

Is it worth it?

This is one of my favourite peaks of the whole project and it's the one that made me emotional at the top, which I did not expect on a mountain I'd approached mainly as a logistics problem.

The ridge is superb. The glacier crossing is genuinely memorable. And the fact that it took hitchhiking, borrowed skis, an early alarm and a lot of falling over is exactly why it landed.

If you want the easy version, come in July and walk. If you want the version I did, come in spring and learn to ski properly first.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest mountain in Norway?

Galdhøpiggen, at 2,469 m, in the Jotunheimen range. It's also the highest mountain in Northern Europe and Scandinavia.

Do you need a guide to climb Galdhøpiggen?

On the Juvasshytta route, yes, because it crosses the Styggebreen glacier and requires roping up. On the Spiterstulen route, no; that one has no glacier crossing and is commonly done independently.

What's the easiest route up Galdhøpiggen?

Juvasshytta is physically easiest because it starts much higher, but it needs a guide. Spiterstulen is much more demanding but can be done alone.

How long does it take to climb Galdhøpiggen?

Around 5 to 7 hours return from Juvasshytta, and 7 to 10 hours from Spiterstulen.

When is the best time to climb Galdhøpiggen?

Late June to early September for walking. Spring and early summer for ski touring, which is a different trip requiring different skills.

Can you climb Galdhøpiggen in May?

Yes, but as a ski tour rather than a hike. You'll be on touring skis with skins, and the bus service to the trailhead generally doesn't run yet.

Is there a bus to Galdhøpiggen?

Bus 202 from Lom serves Juvasshytta and Spiterstulen in summer. Outside that season there's no service, and you'll need a car, a taxi, or luck on the roadside.

Do you need crampons or a rope?

On the guided Juvasshytta crossing the guide provides the rope and manages the glacier travel. In summer some sections may want crampons. On skis in spring, skins do the work.

How much does the guided tour cost?

Booked directly through Juvasshytta. Prices change, so check with them; there's also a toll for the road up.

Is Galdhøpiggen difficult?

Neither normal route is technical climbing. Juvasshytta is short but glaciated; Spiterstulen is a long, high, rocky day with over 1,400 m of ascent. The spring ski version adds a skill requirement that the summer version doesn't have.

Peak 11 of The Peak Project: climbing the highest point in every country in Europe.