Norway

Beginners Ice Climbing

88

This is a course for total beginners to try ice climbing in one of Norway's most incredible environments.

Highlights in 60 seconds

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at Rjukan Old School Hostel

We meet in Rjukan - a picturesque Norwegian town. You'll be staying in the Old School Hostel, which is simple yet comfortable, and can arrive at any time throughout the day.

If you arrive early, we highly recommend taking advantage of the hostel's Sauna!

Note that this is an instructive course, and you will need to arrange your own food and transport (see FAQs for more information).

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Day 2: Ice climbing at Ozzimosis

We leave the hostel at 9 AM after breakfast for a full day of ice climbing at Ozzimosis.

The focus is getting into the swing of it and developing good movement techniques. Your guides will set up climbs at all levels of difficulty so that there's something for everyone - from almost hiking right up to completely vertical!

In the evening you'll have an opportunity to cook a meal and relax with the other climbers, back in the hostel.

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Day 3: Ice climbing at Krokan

The last day is at Krokan, where you walk on a frozen river to an incredible location, usually with over 30 frozen waterfalls!

There is a huge range of climbing routes here, so your guides will pick them carefully to make sure there is something for everyone. The shortest routes are about 6 meters tall, and the tallest ones are nearly 20 meters.

For those who want to, you can also learn some more skills, such as ice screw placement and building winter belays.

We finish at 3 PM and debrief in time to catch the last flights home from Oslo.

NB! If you can't find a cheap flight home on Sunday, you can stay an extra night at the hostel. You are welcome to book an extra day of ice climbing directly with Rjukan Oldschool Hostel.

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What's Included

Included
  • Professional guides.
  • Accommodation in the Rjukan Ice Climbers hostel (called Dale Skole).
  • Technical equipment (helmet, harness, ice axes, crampons etc).
  • Winter mountaineering boots: See FAQs.
Not Included
  • All transport, including transfers to/from the airport and climbing areas. See FAQs.
  • Meals: See FAQs.
  • Travel insurance.
Have a question?

If you have any questions about this trip or want to speak with an expert, get in touch.

We're ready to help.

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Team Images
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Rated 5.0

88 verified reviews

Niinamaria
Niinamaria

(Mar 2024)

Perfect weekend with great instructors, wonderful landscapes, awesome group & nice accommodation and most importantly lot's of ice climbing! I can strongly recommend this course, i got much more than what i could have ever expected. Dale Skole accommodation was really nice & cosy and climbing instructors Ben & Rasmus were totally the best!

Daniel
Daniel

(Mar 2024)

Amazing course with great instructors! No experience needed and plenty of opportunity to do a lot of climbing

Aidan
Aidan

(Mar 2024)

Amazing experience and fantastic instructors!

Adam
Adam

(Feb 2024)

Had an amazing time! Our instructors Ben and Rasmus were both friendly and encouraging! Climbs were adapted for all abilities. Would recommend to anyone!

Paula
Paula

(Feb 2024)

Great experience. The hostel was fun. Good facilities, clean linen and towels. Hot showers. The bunks were spacious and the power points really helpful with charging phones etc. The kitchen was well equipped and had individual storage containers so there was no muddling of others foods. The equipment loaned for the course was really good, fitted well and was in great condition. The course itself was fantastic, learning new skills with excellent instruction and safety paramount. Nothing was too much trouble and no one was expected to go beyond their comfort levels. I would thoroughly recommend the course. This is my 2nd adventure with Skyhook and it won’t be my last.

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FAQs

Before you go

Documents: • Passport • European Health Insurance Card (if appropriate) • Travel insurance details • Boarding passes for flights • Wallet • Driver’s license & rental car details (if needed) Clothing: Please make sure all clothing is not cotton – cotton clothing is great for the summer but loses heat very quickly in the winter. • Two base-layer t-shirts (e.g. running t-shirts) • Fleece/soft-shell jacket • ‘Booster layer’ e.g. second fleece • Waterproof jacket • Down jacket for warmth, if possible (from e.g. Rab, Alpkit, Mountain Equipment) • Spare clothes for evenings • Underwear • Base-layer trousers (optional) • Soft-shell trousers or other warm trousers • Waterproof trousers • Swimwear for the sauna • Two thick wool mountaineering socks • Two pairs of waterproof/snowproof gloves or mitts • Wool hat that can be worn under a helmet • Comfortable boots/shoes for travelling. You can also bring mountaineering boots if you have them. But otherwise, you'll be loaned specialist mountaineering boots for the full days of climbing. Other: • Small rucksack • Water bottle/thermos • Sunglasses • Glasses/contact lenses (if needed) • Sleeping bag liner for the hostel (you can rent sheets if not owned) • Bathroom items, including towel • Electronics - head torch, travel adaptor (French plug style), phone & charger • Lipsil • Book/mp3 player for flights Climbing Equipment (optional): If you own any of the following, you may bring them along as well: • Harness • Helmet • Ice axes • Crampons

Transport (airport transfers and getting to climbing sites) is not included in this trip. There are 2 main airports serving the area: Oslo-Gardermoen and Oslo-Torp. Oslo-Gardermoen (north of Oslo) is the main airport where most international flights arrive. However, Ryanair uses smaller airports, so they also fly to Oslo-Torp (southwest of Oslo). Rjukan is about 2,5-3 hours west of Oslo. You have a few options for getting to Rjukan from the airport; 1. Share a rental car When you sign up, you're added to a group chat on your Skyhook dashboard. We highly recommend chatting here with the other participants (each group has 12 people), as most people arrange car-sharing to get to Rjukan from the airport. Splitting the cost of a rental car is typically the cheapest and fastest way to travel. If you do this, we recommend allowing 3 hours for the drive so that you can take your time and have a break along the way (you'll be going past a beautiful frozen lake). Renting a car means you can easily get to and from the climbing sites. If you rent a VW Golf for three days (in January), it should cost around 1500 Norwegian Kroner/NOK (roughly £110). If you add the price of fuel, it's more like 3000 NOK (roughly £220 ). 2. Buses and trains If you fly into Oslo Gardermoen airport to Oslo, there are buses and trains. The central bus station and train station in Oslo are 500 meters apart, which makes it easy to switch transport. If you fly into Oslo Torp airport there is a bus heading towards Oslo (check this website for schedules: torpekspressen.no ) If you take the bus from Torp towards Oslo, you will have to get off at the Lysaker stop. The bus towards Rjukan also stops at Lysaker, so it's possible to switch to a bus directly to Rjukan instead of first going to Oslo. From Oslo to Rjukan, it is about 2.5-3 hrs west by bus. You can look at schedules and prices on this website: vy.no

You just need a basic level of fitness for this trip, as the guides will setup a big range of climbs (from very easy right up to very challenging). You also don't need any climbing experience (typically half of the 12-person group don't have any). The guides are fantastic at picking out climbs that you will be comfortable with trying, and helping you develop at your own pace. Equally, if you prefer something very challenging, the guides can also set up routes that are very steep/overhanging if you want. There is something for everyone!

Most people fly to Oslo Gardermoen (OSL).

Absolutely yes - most people book alone. We know it can feel a bit intimidating, but your guides will do introductions when you arrive and you’ll get to know the others in no time!

Yes you need this if coming from abroad. Popular providers include the BMC, Snowcard and Dogtag Insurance.

We have many boots in all sizes (including very small and very large). Use of the boots is included in the trip price, and there is no need to request specific sizes in advance.

On your trip

Temperatures can range from -10C to -20C.

Similar clothing to ski clothing works well for the Beginners Course (several warm layers and waterproofs). We recommend wearing wool or synthetics, and not cotton (cotton is great in warm temperatures, but very bad in cold ones if it gets wet).

The hostel has cooking facilities where you can prepare your own meals or cook together as a group. You will get your own crate to store your groceries during your stay. The local supermarket has a broad selection, with equivalent prices to a higher-end supermarket in the UK (e.g. Waitrose). It's a 5-minute drive from the hostel but is also possible to walk there. There are limited takeaway options in town, including pizza.

The hostel is a small and friendly hostel with basic dormitory-style accommodation. The room has 12 comfortable bunk beds, stacked in threes. We have good cooking facilities, warm showers, a sauna, Wi-Fi and a drying room. There is no reception desk – if you arrive early, just come inside and make yourself tea or coffee. Jakob is the hostel owner and the lead guide. Bed linen is all included.

Yes, no problem - just let us know when to expect you when completing your trip form after booking.

Rjukan Old School Hostel, Knut Dahlesvei 31, 3660 Rjukan, Norway

Other FAQs

Yes, there is usually availability to stay extra nights. You can click "message your guide" after booking to arrange this.

The minimum age for all our courses is 18.

The currency used in Norway is the Norwegian Krone (KR). There are some ATM machines in Rjukan if you need cash, but almost everywhere in Norway takes debit/credit cards.

Your head guide is Jakob

All trips on Skyhook are run by small, hand-picked local guiding companies. For this trip your guides run Dale Skole, based in Rjukan.

By booking through Skyhook you'll be joining a small-group trip. This can make it nice and sociable (you'll be added to a group chat after booking), and guarantees great value for money!

Jakob