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Storehorn seen from Ulsåk |
Everytime I have traveled through Hemsedal, one of Norway's most popular winter resorts, I have enjoyed the mighty Hydnefossen waterfall from Veslehorn (Veslehødn), located just west and above the Hemsedal valley. Storehorn is the true mountain here, as Veslehorn is merely a plateau below the summit. Storehorn has a fantastic view towards Hemsedal and the mountains enclosing the small village, even through Storehorn is one of the smaller of the high Hemsedal mountains. Coming from Gol, the mountain is very distinct on the left hand side of the Hemsedal valley. The shape of the summit resembles a horn, and thus the names Storehorn (Big horn) and Veslehorn (Little Horn).
Thanks to a high forest road into Skyrvedalen, the summit is less than one hour away from the parking. There are other routes to the mountain, but if you choose the Skyrvedalen approach (described on this page), then consider parking further down the forest to get a real hike.
Storehorn is part of the "Hemsedal Top 10", which is a collection of mountains that have especially marked trails to the top. The 10 mountains are: Hollekolten (804m), Geiteberget (834m), Karisetberget (837m), Totten (1497m), Røggjin (1370m), Harahorn (1581m), Veslehorn (1300m), Skogshorn (1728m), Storehorn (1482m) and Kyrkjebønosi (1610m).
Climbing
Storhorn has a short (100m) but steep south face with several climbing routes. Most of these routes are difficult (I don't know the grades here), and the rock may vary in quality from route to route. You will find easier routes in Skogshorn's south face (350m), but the rock quality is rather poor. The Hydnefossen waterfall (160m high) is a near vertical wall of ice. The ice climb is very demanding and extremely dangerous when the ice is of poor quality.
Primary Factor
Storehorn has a primary factor of 212m towards the higher Såta (1622m). The saddle is just west of the lake Myljotjedne. The adjacent contours in the saddle are 1280m, and the saddle height is interpolated to 1270m.
Note: Class ratings are in reference to YDS (Yosemite Decimal System).
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Skyrvedalen - Storehorn (summer)
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Access
South-east of Ulsåk (near Hemsedal), exit towards "Torset". Follow the paved road for approx. 1,1Km and exit left onto an unmarked gravel road. Follow this road for approx. 600m and turn right just after a bridge. You are now on the road to Skyrvedalen. Follow it until road end, for 4,7Km. Stay left in all Y-forks. You will pass 4 gates on the way. Make sure you close them after you, as there is cattle in the area. The road is good down in the forest, but gets rougher the higher you go. Find parking at road end.
If you come from the north-west, there is a "Torset" exit just before Hemsedal. This is not the exit described above.
The route
Follow a vague trail on the left hand side of the valley for approx. 50m. The trail becomes more distinct and switchbacks steep up to your left. On top of the first hillside, you enter a plateau, with the Storehorn ridge to your left. Go left and locate a vague trail (partly cairned) that will take you up the ridge and to the summit. There are several cairned viewpoints on the summit plateau, but the summit cairn is closest to the Hemsedal valley. The part from the plateau to the summit is mostly rock, but the rock is flat and easy to walk on.
Rather than returning the same route, another option is to hike Såta (1622m) via Veslesåta. Then follow the Såta north-east ridge until your reach the trail that takes you down to Skyrvedalen. I have not done this hike, and cannot give a class description for the north-east ridge.
This description is derived from the "Topp 10 Hemsedal" pamplet, and describes the standard route to Storehorn.
Veslehorn:
Drive in the direction of Ulsåk/Gol, turn right at the signpost for
Torsetstølane and turn left at the toll road, follow the signs
to Torsetstølane. Once you are above the tree line keep right and
keep driving until the end of the road. Follow the steep trail to Hydnetjedn,
walk to the left of the lake and follow the ridge upwards. This walk can be
combined with a beneficial walk to the Hydnefossen waterfall (walk to the right
of the lake), or to Storehorn. Medium demanding tour - approx. 350m climb and
approx. 4Km one way.
Storehorn:
See the directions to Veslehorn. Follow the steep trail to Hydnetjedn, walk
to the left of the lake and the mountain. There is a steep climb to the summit.
Watch out for cliffs! This trip can be combined with a walk to Veslehorn.
Very demanding tour - approx. 450m climb and approx. 5Km one way.
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I was on my way to Mt. Blanc, and I was flying out of Oslo. I decided to drive from Bergen to Oslo, as there's always a mountain to catch along the road. As I passed Hemsedal, I couldn't resist Storehorn. I had been passing it too many times. I didn't have a whole lot of time, and I asked a local how close to the mountain I could get by car. I was told I could drive up all the way to Skyrvedalen, but I was a little confused whether driving on this road was legal or not. There were however no signs saying it wasn't. I parked the car 13:20PM and was on my way 5 minutes later. I didn't see any trail, and just headed up the steep boulder section above the parking. As I entered the above plateau, I noticed the trail which was coming in from the right. The pace was good, and I reached the summit 14:00PM. After a round of pictures I headed down and reached the car 14:25PM. The quest for Mt. Blanc could then continue....
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Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.
Pictures are presented in the order they were taken.
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