Securely clipped to a thick steel cable, spend the day climbing the precipitous slopes of Mount Hoven for otherwise inaccessible views overlooking the steep green slopes, groaning glaciers, and fjord-dark waters of the Lodalen and Oledalen valleys. This privately led hike gives you a chance to explore the dramatic landscape and the breathless heights of the mountain in complete safety, thanks to the via ferrata that you’ll be attached to the whole time.
You and your guide will clip yourselves to the cable and make your way up the sharply slanted slopes of Mount Hoven, which rises to a peak 1,011 m (3,300 ft) above the blue-black waters of Innvikfjorden. As you climb, you’ll be treated to unimpeded panoramic views, especially as you cross the Gjølmunne suspension bridge, the longest via ferrata bridge in Europe, which stretches a distance of 120 m (393 ft). After reaching the summit, you’ll ride down the Loen Skylift for even more views.
You’ll begin your day at the Loen Active Shop, where your guide will provide a full safety briefing about how to properly use the via ferrata, which means ‘iron road’ in Italian. This style of climbing originated in Italy during World War I, when soldiers strung the peaks with cables so they could traverse the mountains safely and quickly. Today, a via ferrata is a steel cable affixed to the rock and, by attaching yourself to it, you can safely access more exposed areas of the slope.
Accompanied by your guide, you’ll scale to the peak of Mount Hoven, clambering up steep routes that include the narrow Gjølmunne suspension bridge. Along the way and from the summit, you’ll have views of Mount Skåla and Lake Lovatnet in the east, Jostedalsbreen Glacier and Olden in the south, and Nordfjord winding its way toward Stryn in the west.
After you’ve had your fill of the scenery, you and your guide will head back down the Loen Skylift.