Trolltunga Active · Skjeggedal (P2)
Outside the summer season there's no shuttle and the official advice is to go with a guide, so this is how most people reach the rock between October and May. Expect a long, cold, expert-level day on snowshoes from Skjeggedal, a white plateau with almost nobody on it, and a sled ride down the road at the end.
In winter, trolltunga.com puts it bluntly: "you should hike only with a guide". Visit Norway goes further and calls a guide required. No law forbids a solo winter hike, but the official advice is clear, and Trolltunga Active has run guided winter tours since 2015. You meet at 07:30 at its base in Skjeggedal. The road up from Tyssedal needs winter tyres, studs or chains.
There's no shuttle, so you start on foot, either up the old Brakufis trail or along the road to Mågelitopp, past the old cabins. Snowshoes or micro spikes go on when the snow demands it. Then comes Gryteskar, the steepest climb of the day, and the long up-and-down plateau to the rock, with frozen waterfalls and Folgefonna glacier in the distance. The way back is easier on a packed trail, and the last 4 km from P3 to P2 is a ride down the road on a snow racer, a small steerable sled.
Go in with your eyes open. The operator grades it Expert, and on the iciest days the guides may decide the tongue itself is unsafe and show you other photo spots. Daylight in midwinter is under six hours, so you walk part of the day by headlamp. Bad weather alone won't cancel it; only dangerous weather does. GetYourGuide sells it as a private group, and at 4.6 from 18 reviews it rates a little lower than the summer trips.
An info meeting at the Trolltunga Hotel in Odda. Hotel guests also get a free ride to the meeting point.
Trolltunga Active Base, Skjeggedal 20. Snowshoes, spikes and poles are handed out.
By the old Brakufis trail or the road, past the cabins at P3.
The steepest climb, then long white ground with breaks and stories from the guide.
Photos above Ringedalsvatnet, or from a safer spot if the tongue is icy.
Back on the packed trail, then a sled ride down the 4 km road to P2.
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Yes, with a guide. trolltunga.com says you should only hike with a guide in winter (1 October to 31 May), and Visit Norway says a guide is required. This tour is the standard guided option.
20 to 28 km with 800 to 1,200 m of ascent, about 8 to 12 hours. Without the summer shuttle you start on foot from P2, and the last 4 km back is by snow racer.
A small sled with a steering ski. On this tour you ride one down the road from Mågelitopp (P3) to the P2 car park at the end of the day.
Usually, but not always. On the iciest days the guides may judge the tongue unsafe and take you to other photo spots. See our safety guide.
Ready to book
A guided snowshoe day to a snow-covered Trolltunga, with a sled ride down the last stretch.
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