10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE HIKING TROLLTUNGA
- Nicola
- Apr 10, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: May 25, 2020
Below you will find 10 things to know before hiking Trolltunga among other helpful information to prep you before the big hike.
In case anyone is searching for the emergency number like we were, here you go: 112
Not sure which route to take, where to park, what to pack, or who to call if you need medical assistance or, a helicopter? Don’t worry, we’ll get to that bit later.
Trolltunga is one of the most famous hikes around the world and is an iconic rock in Norway that hangs 700 meters over Lake Ringedal.
KEY INFORMATION
Hike location: The town of Odda
Distance: 22 – 28km (depends which route you take)
Hiking Time: 8 – 12 hours0 T
Weather: Can be unpredictable HING
FAQ'S
1. Do you need a guide?
It is recommended to go with a guide between October and May as the weather can be unpredictable and covered in snow. We hiked in late August and found that was a great time. The peak of summer is also a popular time as the weather can be clearer at the tongue.
2. What is the best way to the start the hike from Odda?
There are a few options on how to get there, but what we did was super easy and stress-free. We drove up to the main parking lot (Skjeggedal), from Odda which is a 10-15 minute drive with the windy roads towards the end.
We parked our hire cars in the bigger of the two parking lots that have 180 spaces and paid 600 NOK per car which works out to be £50 for the day. At this parking lot, there are restrooms, and this is also where you will take the shuttle up.
Most begin their hike from here by taking the shuttle or also continuing to drive to the top parking lot (Mågelitopp), and that only holds 30 cars. These two options will eliminate a very steep climb and it also shaves off 1.5 hours hiking time.
We booked the 6:30 am shuttle (online and a few weeks in advance), which is the first shuttle of the day. The shuttle is roughly £13 per person. However, the minibus only seats 10 so ensure you book this ahead of time. We had a full group of 10 which meant the other hikers (and there were a lot) who were buying a ticket on the day had to wait a while.
Side note: They don’t allow return tickets to be booked ahead of time as you can’t really predict when you’ll finish, so this will be booked upon completion of the hike.
3. Which trail should I take?
Summarising the above you essentially have 3 options: A. Park at Skjeggedal and begin the hike from there B. Park at Skjeggedal and take the shuttle up to Mågelitopp and begin there C. Park at Mågelitopp and start from there
We can only speak from experience and option B worked perfectly fine for us.
4. What is the emergency number on the Trolltunga hike?
112
This is something that should be noted prior to beginning the hike and other key numbers we should have known also.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) has the overall operational responsibility during mountain search and rescue operations.
51 51 70 00 – JRCC Southern Norway 75 55 90 00 – JRCC Northern Norway
For other emergencies:
110 – Fire
112 – Police
113 – Ambulance
120 – Emergency at sea
22 59 13 00 – Poisons Information Center
1412 TDD (textphone for the deaf or hearing impaired)
5. How difficult is the hike?
The hike itself has some strenuous and steep parts but overall it wasn’t too difficult. Obviously, if you hike from the first car park and don’t catch the shuttle, you’re up for the most difficult part. If you’re not a regular hiker and take frequent breaks it’s definitely doable and in a reasonable amount of time.
What throws most people off is the distance. People see 22-28km and freak out a little, but with the beautiful scenery, Trolltunga offers the kilometres tick over pretty quickly.
10 KEY TIPS FOR HIKING TROLLTUNGA
Start early! Plan to set off around 6:00 am – you want to be in the parking lot on the first shuttle up at 6:30 am. The car parks also fill up very quickly so you want to ensure you can secure one.
You’ll want to beat the crowds, not only for a more pleasant time at the tongue, but it also makes the hike a little more enjoyable when there are few others on the trail.
Wear proper hiking shoes and ensure they’re waterproof.
Make sure you have insurance!
There is phone service the entire hike, so don’t stress about that (in case of an emergency).
Bring lots of layers of clothes. Even though it may be forecasted for a 20-22 degree day it can get as low as 5-8 degrees at some points on the hike. This includes gloves and beanies, just in case.
Ensure you have enough food and water for the hike (or even pack a beer for the accomplishment of reaching the tongue ;).
Pack an emergency first aid kit with all the essentials.
Check the weather before the day of your hike.
Use the restrooms in the parking lot as there aren’t any others after this point.
Who to call in case of an emergency?
Time for a little story – We were hiking in a group of 10 and unfortunately, one of our members (Ebonee) slipped down a declining rock and injured her ankle.
We were then scrambling to find an emergency number (something we should have known prior), as we were 7km into the hike and seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.
We were also about 700 meters away from that first safety cabin. Brandon raced down there where we thought a mountain guard might be, but unfortunately, no one was there at the time.
In the meantime, the ‘112‘ emergency number was found. After five minutes or so we were put through to the mountain guard, and he was with us roughly 45 mins after the initial accident.
In mild cases, they would try to get the injured patient down to the safety cabin to recover for a little, or if closer to the start of the hike, back to the car park. In this case, it was incredibly severe and the mountain guard was SUPER helpful and made the call out to arrange a helicopter.
One of the first things we did after a helicopter was mentioned was to check Eb’s insurance policy, but luckily enough, the Norwegian healthcare is unreal and all helicopter call-outs are free.
Within three hours of the initial incident, Eb and I were on a helicopter back to the hospital in Odda. We have not have made it to the tongue but we definitely didn’t have awful views of the Fjord… 😉
This is obviously a very extreme case but just ensure you know the number/s to call in case an emergency or injury occurs.
Other key takeaways
Carry a first aid kit with you. This should have Panadol/Nurofen and it should also have a warm foil blanket (which would have come handy but we didn’t realise until after this hike).
PACK WARM CLOTHES! Even though you can get quite warm on the hike, once you stop and particularly for a couple of hours it can be VERY cold so the beanie, gloves, warm jacket came in handy.
Ensure you have a phone with you and a portable charger wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Make sure you have insurance! Even though the helicopter may have been free, the hospital bills quickly add up in a foreign country.
If you have any queries or questions, do not hesitate to leave a comment and we’ll get back to you ASAP :) or simply let us know if this guide came in handy!
Happy travelling!
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