{"id":38520,"date":"2023-01-18T11:40:12","date_gmt":"2023-01-18T10:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test-01.bergfreunde.de\/blog\/climbing-and-bouldering-in-scandinavia\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T09:58:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T07:58:44","slug":"climbing-and-bouldering-in-scandinavia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alpinetrek.co.uk\/blog\/climbing-and-bouldering-in-scandinavia\/","title":{"rendered":"Climbing and bouldering in Scandinavia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Norway and Sweden are well known for being wonderful destinations for trekking and canoeing. But that\u2019s not what we\u2019re going to talk about today. We\u2019re here to talk about climbing and bouldering in these beautiful Scandinavian countries. The aim of this post is just to give you a little taste of the best climbing and bouldering regions<\/strong> and to answer the question as to what makes climbing in Scandinavia in general, and in Norway and Sweden in particular, so unique<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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We\u2019re here to tell you what makes climbing and bouldering in Scandinavia so unique<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Of course, this post isn\u2019t meant to be exhaustive. We only hope to inspire you and put you in the mood to head over to Scandinavia to climb<\/strong>! Let\u2019s begin with an important fact: the Scandinavians are very environmentally conscious people, which is the reason why they have refrained from placing bolts in many areas. So, it\u2019d be a good idea to consult a climbing guide or ask a native before heading out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climbing in Norway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Old hands in mountaineering know Norway as the Mecca of ice climbing<\/strong>. Regardless of whether you\u2019re a beginner or very experienced, you\u2019ll definitely find a route for you. Beginners<\/strong> will love the region around Rjukan<\/strong>. This is where the popular ice climbing festival is held. But, if you like it a bit wilder or just prefer places off the beaten path<\/strong>, you should definitely check out Laerdal<\/strong>, which abounds in huge frozen waterfalls for all your ice climbing needs. Large areas of this region remain largely untouched. Of course, Gudvangen<\/strong> and Hemsedal<\/strong> are worth mentioning as well. All of these regions are mere hours away<\/strong> from Oslo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sport and alpine climbing<\/h3>\n\n\n
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Panico – Setesdal – Climbing in Southern Norway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For sport and alpine climbing<\/strong>, Setesdal<\/strong> is extremely popular, not least because it\u2019s located in Southern Norway<\/strong> and thus easier to get to. If you happen to be in Denmark, you can just take a ferry from there to the Norwegian mainland. The granite rock in Setesdal<\/strong> offers climbers not only a large number of bolted routes but also plenty for route setters to work with<\/strong>. Many of the routes are smooth slabs<\/strong>, so you\u2019ve got to like that sort of thing. But, they\u2019re really fun once you get the hang of it! Cams, nuts and slings are a must even with bolts!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or far in the north?<\/h3>\n\n\n
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Topptur – Stetind & Narvik – climbing guide<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

If you fancy more extreme regions, you\u2019ll love the area around Narvik<\/strong>, or more specifically, Stetind<\/strong>. This rather imposing mountain is located north of the polar circle, so it\u2019s pretty chilly all year round. There\u2019s a climbing guide<\/a> for this region as well, which will show you the way up the smooth sides of the granite<\/strong>. Of course, you can head up north to the Lofoten Islands<\/strong> as well. These islands are perfect for fans of multi-pitch climbs<\/strong>, not least because of the absolutely unique and beautiful scenery<\/strong>. The difficulty of the set climbing routes are between 4 and 8 (UIAA)<\/strong>. There are climbing guides available as well: Ed Webster\u2019s \u201cClimbing in the Magic Islands\u201d and the \u201cLofoten Rock\u201d published by Rockfax. Of course, you have the option of acquiring these guides and others when you get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climbing in Sweden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pretty much the opposite of the raw and wild alpine-like character of Norwegian climbing areas are the ones found in Sweden. Being able to climb by the sea<\/strong> is quite the experience. It\u2019s as if the dichotomy between the water and the mountains vanished into thin sea air. In Bohusl\u00e4n, which is north of Gothenburg<\/strong>, there are not only cute little islands but also solid granite to climb in warm summer weather<\/strong>. The majority of the predominantly sport climbing routes<\/strong> are significantly shorter than those in Norway. You can find much more on this region in the the tourist information in Uddevalla<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re into the more difficult stuff, you\u2019ll have the time of your life just outside of Stockholm<\/strong>. The demanding sport climbing routes<\/strong>, such as the \u00d6rnberget or V\u00e4rmd\u00f6, start at around 6b (according to the French scale)<\/strong>. However, out of the approximately 2,000 routes that are within an hour\u2019s drive from each other around Stockholm<\/strong>, there are some great routes for beginners as well. Other great routes can be found in Agelsj\u00f6n near Norrk\u00f6ping<\/strong> or Kullaberg just north of Helsingborg<\/strong>. More maps and info on climbing in Sweden can be found at www.sverigef\u00f6raren.se<\/a>, provided you speak Swedish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bouldering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of places to go bouldering in Norway and Sweden. Many such areas are in Setesdal<\/strong> and in Southern Norway<\/strong>. Nico Altmaier who Alpine Trek has been working with for a while now, travelled to Norway for some bouldering in 2014 and made a short film about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweden is becoming one of the more popular destinations for bouldering holidays. In the rather idyllic town of V\u00e4stervik in Sweden<\/strong>, there\u2019s even an International Boulder Meet with several famous boulderers<\/strong>. The meet has taken place several times now and has really put the area on the (bouldering) map. Sweden\u2019s bouldering scene is small but has been on the rise for a number of years. There are plenty of other spots as well. Check out the map of Sverigef\u00f6raren<\/a> for more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And last but not least, one of the best boulderers at the moment comes from Finland, he goes by the name of Nalle Hukkataival and comes from Helsinki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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