Climbing

Big-wall climbing

Big-wall climbing — multi-day routes on walls over 500 metres. Trollveggen, Kjerag, Stetind. How bivouacking on the wall works, which routes are the classics, and how high the threshold really is.

Big-wall climbing is climbing on walls that are too long to be climbed in a day — typically 500–1,100 metres, sometimes more. You climb over several days with overnight stays on the wall itself, either on natural ledges or on a portaledge (a folding platform that hangs from the protection system). It is the most complex form of the sport: long routes, an alpine setting, heavy loads, bivouacking, and logistics that have no parallel in other climbing disciplines.

Norway has a small but significant selection of big-wall routes. Trollveggen in Romsdal — often called Europe’s highest vertical rock face, around 1,100 metres from base to summit — is the classic. Kjerag by the Lysefjord has 33 independent routes on a granite wall up to 500 metres high. Storen in Hurrungane and Stetind also have long routes that can qualify as big walls. By comparison, the Yosemite Valley in the USA has dozens of big-wall routes of 600–1,000 metres, and the Karakoram and Patagonia have the longest in the world.

For someone who has climbed trad climbing and done mountaineering, big-wall climbing is the natural extension — but not an easy transition. It demands specific skills (jugging, hauling heavy gear, bivouacking), and the logistics are as demanding as the climbing itself.

What big-wall climbing actually is

Structurally, a big-wall trip is:

  1. Approach — from base camp to the foot of the route. Can be anything from a short walk to a full day of glacier travel.
  2. Climbing the route — typically over 2–5 days, depending on length and difficulty.
  3. Bivouacking on the wall — one or more nights on natural ledges or a portaledge.
  4. Summit — reaching the top, often on day 2 or 3.
  5. Descent — by the easiest line. Often a walking route taking 4–8 hours.

Total time for a typical Trollveggen route: 3–5 days from base to return. Kjerag routes: 2–4 days. Trango Tower (Pakistan, a classic Norwegian expedition objective): 2–3 weeks.

Norwegian big-wall routes

Trollveggen is the heartland. First climbed in 1965 by two teams in the same summer:

  • Norskeruta (grade 7) — the Norwegian team (Jon Teigland, Odd Eliassen, Ole Daniel Enersen, Leif Norman Patterson) topped out on 23 July 1965.
  • Rimmonruta / Engelskruta (6+) — the British team (Tony Howard, John Amatt, Bill Tweedale).

Later came Svenskeruta (with the first winter ascent by Hans Christian Doseth in 1980) and Trollkjerringruta (first free ascent by Doseth in 1983). Hans Christian Doseth (1958–1984) was the central Norwegian big-wall climber before his fatal accident at Great Trango Tower on 5–7 August 1984.

Trollveggen lies in Reinheimen national park. Climbing is permitted, but BASE jumping has been banned since 25 July 1986 after a series of accidents (between 1984–86 there were 11 rescue operations following failed BASE jumps).

Kjerag by the Lysefjord is a 4–5 km long, roughly 1 km high granite massif on the south side of the fjord. 33 independent routes are documented, divided into:

  • 4 pure ice routes
  • 23 free-climbing routes
  • 6 big-wall routes

Tsunami (9-/9) is regarded as Norway’s hardest big wall. Hoka Hey is a classic. The Kjerag wall faces north and lies much in shade — unusual for Norwegian big-wall climbing, and it gives a distinctive light and quality.

Storen in Hurrungane has long routes that can qualify as big walls, but most are climbed in a day and are classified as mountaineering.

Stetind has classic long routes such as Sørpilaren (Arne Næss and Else Hertzberg, 1936). Vestveggen and other longer routes are still active projects.

For those who want to go beyond Norway, the Trango Towers (Pakistan), Yosemite (USA), Patagonia (Argentina/Chile) and the Karakoram are classic objectives. Norwegian climbers have been active on all of these.

The way in

Big-wall climbing is not the activity to start with. The way in:

  1. Trad climbing — at least 3–5 seasons of trad climbing and mountaineering. You must be able to place nuts and cams under pressure, climb several pitches without trouble, and build a belay efficiently.

  2. Specific technique — jugging (ascending the rope with jumars), aid climbing (used where free climbing is too hard), rope-management systems, and rigging a portaledge.

  3. Shorter multi-pitch first — Hægefjell, Setesdal, or Lofoten have routes of 6–10 pitches that make good projects before big-wall climbing.

  4. An experienced mentor — your first big wall is done with an experienced partner, not alone. This is not gatekeeping — it is calibration. A big-wall trip has 100+ decision points where experience directly affects how long the day becomes.

  5. The Trango Tower / Yosemite route — many Norwegian big-wall climbers have gone to Yosemite first to build technique on established routes with a rich climbing community. The big-wall mecca is still there.

For someone with good trad-climbing experience who wants to try a first big wall: a longer Hægefjell route (8–12 pitches in a day, no bivouacking) is a good challenge that tests the big-wall rhythm without the full logistics.

Equipment

Big-wall climbing requires considerably more gear than pure trad climbing:

Climbing gear:

  • A complete trad rack (many doubles, 2 sets of nuts, 12+ cams)
  • Static and dynamic ropes (often 2 × 60 m)
  • Aid-climbing gear (etriers, fifi hooks, ascenders)
  • A portaledge or bivvy bag for ledges
  • A hauling system for pulling up gear (haul bag and pulley)

Bivouac gear:

  • Sleeping bag (waterproof and cold-resistant)
  • Sleeping mat (if not using a portaledge)
  • Food for the whole route + a buffer (typically 1–1.5 kg per day per person)
  • Fuel and a stove (alpine-compatible)
  • Water bottles and a water filter if needed

Clothing:

  • Layers for changeable weather
  • A windproof outer shell, a down jacket
  • Climbing shoes + mountain boots for the approach and the summit
  • Winter gloves if relevant

Safety and communication:

  • Helmet (especially important for big walls because of rockfall)
  • First-aid kit, including more extensive treatment for injuries
  • Phone with battery and satellite communication if needed
  • First-aid kit for injuries that require rapid transport to hospital

Total pack weight for a typical Trollveggen route: 60–100 kg distributed across the rope team. A hauling system makes it possible to carry that much up a wall.

Safety

Big-wall safety combines all the other forms plus a few particular features:

Rockfall — the dominant risk. A helmet is mandatory, and the rope team’s positioning on the wall is critical (not directly below one another).

Weather that turns — on a 5-day route the weather can change dramatically. Turnaround time (snutid) and the decision to retreat are stricter than on day trips.

Injuries that cannot be evacuated quickly — on Trollveggen a serious injury can require a rescue operation taking hours or days. Extra first aid and communication are not optional.

Belay failure — on long routes there are several protection points, and their quality varies. Assess every belay.

Hypothermia — on a steep wall with no chance to set up camp, cold exposure is a greater risk than on ordinary mountain trips.

Trollveggen statistics: 19 deaths since 1966 (10 in climbing accidents, 9 in BASE flying). It is the deadliest Norwegian climbing wall, and the statistics are part of why the Norwegian climbing community treats it with deep respect.

Ethics

Big-wall climbing has its own ethics:

  • Leave the mountain as you found it — do not leave behind gear, rubbish, or permanent anchors (apart from established rappel stations)
  • Respect the first-ascent tradition — do not leave bolts that were not there, do not remove existing protection
  • Do not contaminate ice/snow/water with human activity
  • Toilet bag — excrement must be packed out, not left on the wall

For expedition climbing abroad (Trango, Patagonia, the Karakoram) stricter ethical and practical requirements apply, detailed in the international climbing literature.

Season

The Norwegian big-wall season is narrow:

  • Trollveggen — June to mid-September. Snowmelt in May/June, the first frost in September.
  • Kjerag — April to October. A longer season because of its south-facing shade exposure.
  • Storen and Stetind — primarily July to August.

For the best chance: plan flexible 7–10-day windows in order to catch a 3-day good-weather window in the core season.

Next steps

If you have climbed trad for several years and are considering a big wall: take a big-wall course with NTK or Norges Høgfjellsskole. It is offered rarely, but it exists. Alternatively: go to Yosemite or the Verdon Gorge to build technique on established crags.

If you have done a first big wall and want to go further: build up gradually. Trollveggen in moderate conditions before more exposed routes or worse weather.

For expeditions abroad: the Trango Towers, Patagonia and Yosemite have Norwegian climbing groups that organise trips. Join NTK or local clubs to become part of the community.

For other long climbing formats: mountaineering is the natural foundation. Rock climbing is the essential groundwork.

Learn more

Text: Snuitide (2026).