Trollveggen (The Troll Wall)

The tallest rock face in Europe, as well as probably the one with the worst rock, the Troll Wall (Trollveggen in Norwegian) stands proud near the small town of Åndalsnes in the Romsdal valley. Not only is it over 1,000m high, but it is also very, very steep: the top overhangs its base by up to 50 meters!

With the promise of a serious adventure without having to travel to the greater ranges, the wall has a long climbing history. Its first ascent, in 1968, saw Norwegian and English teams racing to the top in different parts of the wall, with the locals finishing a day earlier. Since then, the name of the game has been hard aid, scary free climbing and, increasingly, winter ascents due to the endless rockfall.

This image shows all known aid and free routes, as well as routes on the neighboring Semletind, Trollryggen and Brudgommen, including the famous East Pillar Trilogy. There is even a ski descent: route 29, Fiva, by Kilian Jornet in 2018.

Free download link - medium resolution, personal use only (no printing allowed)

Route List

1: Østpilaren (East Pillar), Semletind, 5, W. Gartside, R. Holt, T. Howard, B. Tweedale, 1967
2: Venstrehåndsdiedrene (Lefthand Dihedrals), 6, A.C. Wilmott, S. Eskell, 1969/H.C. Doseth, F. Martinsen, 07/1978
3: Østpilaren, Direkte Utsteg (East Pillar, Direct Exit), 6+, B. Bø, A.G. Nebell, 08/1993
4: Høyrehåndsdiedrene (Righthand Dihedrals), 7-, B.M. Lund, T. Pinsli, 07/1989
5: Gammelt Nytt (The Old New), 6, B. Bø, H.K. Næss, T. Nøst, 08/1996
6: Nytt på Nytt (New Again), 7+, S. Sæther, O.J. Sæther, 2008
7: Ultimatum, 7+, S. Sæther, O.J. Sæther, 2007
8: Villsporr (Stray), 7+, S. Sæther, O.J. Sæther, 2019
9: Amatt-Baillie, 6 A4/7, J. Amatt, R. Baillie, 08/1967/S. Sæther, O.J. Sæther, 2007
10: Ingenmannsland (No Man’s Land), 7+, S. Sæther, O.J. Sæther, 2018
11: Amygdala, 7+, S. Sæther, O.J. Sæther, 2015
12: Originalruta (Original Route), 4+, L. Eikrem, A.R. Heen, P. Svendsås, 08/1963
13: Kjempekaminen (The Great Chimney), D. Becik, P. Bozik, L. Odstrcil, 03/1985
14: Bivuakk Blues (Bivouac Blues), S. Glejdura, J. Jasko, 03/1988
15: Minneruta (Memory Route), 6 A4, D. Bakos, M. Orolin, V. Petric, J. Soldan, 03/1974
16: Østpilaren (East Pillar), Trollryggen, 6, A.R. Heen, R. Høibakk, 1958
17: Suser gjennom Harryland (Whizzing through Harryland), 6 A3, H. Hagen, K. Østbø, 07/1996
18: Baltika, 6 A3, A. Odintsov, I. Potankin, 08/1997
19: Norskeruta (Norwegian Route), 7, O. Eliassen, O.D. Enersen, L.N. Patterson, J. Teigland, 07/1965/Janecka, Just, Krizan, Pochyly, 08/1986
20: Krasnoyarsk, 6- A4+/8-, V. Arkhipov, S. Cherezov, E. Dmitzienko, O. Khovstenko, A. Pugovkine, P. Zakharov, 02/2002/S. Sæther, O.J. Sæther, 2012
21: Franskeruta (French Route), 6+ A4/8-, Y. Boussard, J. Brunet, P. Cordier, C. Deck, J. Frehel, 08/1967/S. Sæther, O.J. Sæther, 2010
22: Russeruta (Russian Route), 6+ A4, Y. Koshelenko, A. Ruchkin, 07/1997
23: Katharsis, A4 M7, M. Raganowicz, M. Tomaszewski, 02/2015
24: Arch Wall, 7- A4+/8-, E. Drummond, H. Drummond, 08/1972/S. Sæther, O.J. Sæther, 2010
25: Trolldom (Troll Magic), 7 A3, L. Magnussen, Ø. Vadla, 06/1985
26: El Camí dels Somnis (Sleepwalker Route), 7- A3, J.C. Castellvi, J. Grau, P.X. Porta, 06/1986
27: Svenskeruta (Swedish Route), 7-, L.G. Johansson, T. Nilsson, 06/1978/S. Bancroft, C. Brooks, H.C. Doseth, 06/1980
28: Rimmon/English Route, 6+, J. Amatt, T. Howard, B. Tweedale, 07/1965/R. Amundsen, H.C. Doseth, 06/1979
29: Raspberry Dream, 8-, M. Fujiwara, M. Nakashima, M. Shibuya, 07/1986/K. Klemetzen, Ø. Vadla, A. Aastorp, 07/1987
30: Trollkjerringruta (The Old Troll Lady Route), 7, C. Brooks, H.C. Doseth, H. Nesheim, S. Nesheim, 03/1982/H.C. Doseth, M. Fujiwara, 08/1983
31: Död åt Alla Prektige Blonde Vikinger (Death to All Pretty Blond Vikings), A4, Ø. Bårdsnes, B. Pedersen, Ø. Vadla, A. Aastorp, 02/1986
32: Crack’n Dutch, 6, J. van der Meulen, C. von Schulz, 05/1985
33: Østpilaren (East Pillar), Brudgommen, 6, M. Glogoczowski, M. Kozlowski, A. Paulo, 08/1968
34: Fivaruta (Fiva Route), 4/5.5 60°, A.R. Heen, E. Heen, 08/1931/K. Jornet, 02/2018

Sources

• “Klatring i Romsdal,” Anne Grete Nebell, Bjarte Bø, Sogge Fjellsport, 1999

• “Walks and Climbs in Romsdal, Norway,” Tony Howard, Cicerone Press, 1970

• “Troll Wall: The Untold Story of the British First Ascent of Europe’s Tallest Rock Face,” Tony Howard, Vertebrate, 2011

• “World Mountaineering, the world’s greatest mountains by the worlds’s greatest mountaineers,” Audrey Salkeld ed., Mitchell Beazley, 1998

• “Troll Stories,” Aslak Aastorp, Alpinist Magazine, Issue 07, Summer 2004

• Tidsskrift for Norsk, AlpinKlatring 20, Norsk Tindeklub, 2020

• Alpinist Magazine, Issue 04, Autumn 2003

• American Alpine Journal

• Isklatring.no

• BigWalls.net

• TheCrag.com

• Russianclimb.com

• Aslak Aastorp

• O. R. Lykkebø

Updates

Nov 15, 2023: First version published.

Nov 29, 2023: Fixed a wrong number (18 instead of 19) on the top section of the image.

Feb 20, 2026: Fixed caption to add initials and month of ascent, revert to Norwegian grades instead of French. Added 5 new routes on Semletinden, all courtesy of the father and son Sæther duo.