Jotunheimen Haute Route
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Jotunheimen Haute Route: Norway’s High Ski Traverse
HikeList Score
Jotunheimen Haute Route scored 66/100 on HikeList's trail-quality metrics.
See score breakdownHide breakdown
- Ideal length 85
- Balanced challenge 38
- Scenery & wildness 71
- Varied terrain 76
- Accommodation 49
- Food & support 65
- Path quality 92
- Season flexibility 63
Computed from length, challenge, scenery & wildness, terrain variety, accommodation, food & support, path quality and season flexibility.
The Jotunheimen Haute Route — Høgruta i Jotunheimen — is a 77 km, 5-day expert spring ski-mountaineering traverse across Jotunheimen National Park in Norway. It is not a summer walking route: expect backcountry ski touring, glacier travel, steep ascents and exposed 2,000 m summits, including Galdhøpiggen. This is for strong ski tourers with avalanche awareness, glacier skills and the fitness to handle about 6,500 m of ascent over five committing hut-to-hut days.
Route Overview
This is a point-to-point traverse, usually skied west-to-east or east-to-west between the road heads at Bessheim/Gjendesheim by Lake Gjende and Krossbu on Sognefjellsvegen. The standard line uses staffed DNT mountain lodges: Gjendesheim or Bessheim → Memurubu → Glitterheim → Spiterstulen → Leirvassbu → Krossbu. It crosses the high interior of Jotunheimen on snow-covered glaciers and summit ridges, linking peaks such as Besshø, Glittertind, Galdhøpiggen and Storebjørn. The route is hut-to-hut, but still remote: transport logistics depend on road access to the two ends and the spring opening period of the lodges.
How the Høgruta Was Created
The Høgruta was conceived in the 2000s by Norwegian ski-mountaineering pioneer Stian Hagen and photographer Johan Wildhagen. After a trip to Toubkal in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, they recognised that the Jotunheimen mountains of their childhood had the terrain for a world-class randonnée route. Working with DNT Oslo og Omegn, they linked existing huts, glaciers and major summits into Norway’s answer to the classic Alpine Haute Route.
Notable highlights
- Galdhøpiggen (2,469 m): Norway’s highest mountain and the literal high point of the traverse. Ski tourers who want the summit without the full Haute Route can compare it with the Galdhøpiggen Summit Trail.
- Glittertind (~2,452–2,465 m): Norway’s second-highest peak is crossed mid-route between Glitterheim and Spiterstulen. See also the standalone Glittertind Ascent for a focused summit objective.
- Glacier crossings: The line crosses roughly eight glaciers, including Smørstabbreen and Storjuvbreen. This is the core appeal — and the core risk — of the route, with crevassed terrain and long ski descents.
- DNT mountain lodges: Staffed huts such as Glitterheim, Spiterstulen, Leirvassbu and Krossbu provide dormitory beds and meals between ski days, avoiding the need to camp on snow.
- Lake Gjende and Bessheim start: The eastern trailhead sits by Lake Gjende beneath Besseggen, one of Jotunheimen’s best-known ridges; summer hikers may know it from the Besseggen Ridge.
- Sognefjellet finish: Krossbu lies on Sognefjellsvegen, Norway’s highest mountain road and a classic spring ski-touring base.
Challenges to expect
Expect expert-level ski-mountaineering rather than hiking. The route involves crevassed glaciers, avalanche terrain, steep skinning, exposed summit ridges, variable spring snow and remote navigation between huts. Daily ascent is substantial, with about 6,500 m over the full traverse. Parties need touring skis or splitboards, skins, avalanche kit, rope and glacier-travel equipment; most go with a certified mountain guide.
HikeList Score
Jotunheimen Haute Route scored 66/100 on HikeList's trail-quality metrics.
See score breakdownHide breakdown
- Ideal length 85
- Balanced challenge 38
- Scenery & wildness 71
- Varied terrain 76
- Accommodation 49
- Food & support 65
- Path quality 92
- Season flexibility 63
Computed from length, challenge, scenery & wildness, terrain variety, accommodation, food & support, path quality and season flexibility.
NorwayShow more data Show less
- Mountainous
- High Alpine
- Glaciated
- Snow
- Glacier Ice
- Huts
- Pet Friendly
- Water Sources
- Campsites
- Shelters
Photos from hikers
Taken on the trail by people who've reviewed Jotunheimen Haute Route.
Start from the Lake Gjende road head at Gjendesheim or Bessheim and ski into the high terrain above the eastern end of Jotunheimen, typically over Besshø (~2,258 m), to reach the DNT lodge at Memurubu.
Continue across the central Jotunheimen ski terrain towards Glitterheim, with the standard line crossing Store Surtningssue (~2,368 m), one of Norway’s highest summits.
Cross Glittertind, Norway’s second-highest peak, then descend towards Spiterstulen. This is a serious alpine stage with exposed, glaciated terrain.
The centrepiece stage summits Galdhøpiggen, Norway’s highest mountain at 2,469 m, before continuing west through high, snowy Jotunheimen terrain to Leirvassbu.
Finish the traverse by crossing further glacier terrain, including the Storebjørn area, before reaching Krossbu on the Sognefjellet mountain road.
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