Glittertind in the Jotunheimen Mountains is the second highest peak in Norway and the entire Scandinavian Mountains (after Galdhøpiggen). Reaching the summit is not technically demanding, but it can be a significant fitness challenge. Contrary to what still appears on some maps, this peak is no longer covered by a glacier. I will remember Glittertind primarily for its somewhat monotonous ascent, the hardships of which were, however, fully rewarded by stunning views. Join me for a report on the ascent from Glitterheim and the descent near Spiterstulen!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- A rest day in the Veodalen valley
- From the campsite to Glitterheim
- Glittertind – the ascent
- Glittertind – the summit
- Descent from Glittertind to Spiterstulen
- Trip map
A rest day in the Veodalen valley
On the third day of our stay in Jotunheimen, we are woken by the sound of rain. We aren’t particularly surprised. Forecasts had been predicting a significant weather breakdown for this day for a long time. To be honest, it rained less than the always pessimistic yr.no predicted. However, the rainfall was heavy enough that the start of the Glittertind trip had to be postponed. Since the sky showed no signs of clearing for a long time, we decided to take a rest day from trekking. After all, Glittertind is a high mountain, and none of us wanted to push for it in uncertain conditions. At the same time, since we are already beneath it and set our minds on conquering it, it would be silly to just bypass Norway’s second-highest peak, right?
I remember the break in Veodalen very fondly! The valley is permanently out of mobile range, so for a whole long day, we are deprived of all the stimuli that internet access serves us every day. Instead of scrolling Instagram, we talk to each other, prepare meals together, and play an endless game of “Tysiąc” (a Polish card game). Around the afternoon, the first trips to the “unfortunate” Glitterheim hut begin. Why unfortunate? I refer you to the previous post for the answer to that question. Martyna and I decide to pop over to the hut for a coffee. Well, it wasn’t the best coffee of my life, but I’m not going to complain. Besides, our whole crew uses Glitterheim to… wash. It turns out there is a back entrance to the hut’s bathroom, and the shower water is soothingly warm. A day of blissful laziness also makes me realize that time in the mountains doesn’t necessarily have to be exclusively about ambitious sporting achievements. It’s not always worth rushing, especially in this crazy world where most of us have so many overwhelming responsibilities.
From the campsite to Glitterheim
The next day we wake up in a completely different reality: cloudless skies, beautiful visibility. So, we pack our things quickly and hit the road! It was good to be lazy, but today we have a high mountain to conquer – the second highest in all of Scandinavia!
By the way, whether it is actually the second highest was a matter of dispute until recently. For centuries, the summit of Glittertind was covered by a thick glacial cap. According to a 1917 map, the height of the mountain (including the glacier on top) was 2,481 m n.p.m. Neighboring Galdhøpiggen measures 2,469 m n.p.m., but its summit was never covered by a glacier. So, a definitional problem arose – is the height of a peak determined by the highest rock or the highest point of the ice field? The matter was important because in this case, it determined which mountain should be considered the highest in all of Norway. You could say the problem solved itself. Due to rapid climate change, the glacier on top of Glittertind became smaller and smaller every year until finally, in September 2023, it disappeared completely. It’s a pity, because archival photos show it looked amazing… As a consolation, large stretches of eternal ice still remain on the northern slopes of Glittertind and are perfectly visible – both from the trail and the summit.
We leave the campsite a few minutes after 7 AM. We head towards the already familiar Glitterheim hut (1,384 m n.p.m.). There, taking advantage of the availability of warm water, we quickly eat our last bowls of oatmeal and finish our tea. By around 8 AM, we are ready to start gaining altitude. The weather remains beautiful: crystal clear visibility. Here, we say goodbye to three of our companions who chose a different variant to reach Spiterstulen: not via the summit of Glittertind, but through the nearby Velsglupen pass (1,650 m n.p.m.). Good luck and see you in a few hours!
Glittertind – the ascent
The route from Glitterheim to Glittertind is 6 kilometers long and requires overcoming 1,050 meters of elevation gain. The ascent begins almost immediately after leaving the hut area and is fairly consistent along the entire length of the trail. You can see this on the map – for a long time, the density of contour lines doesn’t change for a moment. This phenomenon is also confirmed by Strava statistics – for each individual kilometer, we gain 170 m, 183 m, 180 m, and 188 m respectively. The terrain only flattens out in the higher parts of Glittertind – in the last two kilometers, we have to overcome 103 m and 124 m of elevation difference.
As we gain altitude, incredible views of glacier-covered peaks and Lake Nedre Steinbuvann open up on the left. Roughly an hour after leaving the hut, the last clumps of grass disappear – from then on, the trail leads exclusively over stones of various sizes. We are now surrounded on all sides by a massive, rocky desert, making the ascent seem monotonous and slightly tedious. The route is quite well marked with stone cairns with a red letter “T” painted on them. However, there is obviously nothing like the stone pavements we know so well from trekking in the Tatra Mountains.
When we are quite high up, ominous clouds begin to materialize in the sky. Fortunately for us, they left as quickly as they came. The prospect of views from the summit remains safe. At an altitude of approx. 2,200 m n.p.m., we reach the edge of the massive Gråsubrean glacier. We stop here for a moment, observing the huge expanse of eternal ice with awe. I’ve written about this many times, but let me repeat: glaciers have something magical about them. Looking at them, I feel a mixture of respect, anxiety, and a hard-to-describe delight. Gråsubrean is the very glacier that once reached the summit of Glittertind, and thus allowed the entire mountain to hold the title of the highest in Scandinavia.
Glittertind – the summit
From the glacier viewpoint, it’s quite close to the summit. Finally, we reach Glittertind (2,452 m n.p.m.) at 11:40 AM, after about 3.5 hours of hiking. The time is good considering we are hiking with heavy backpacks – I suspect that with light packs we would have made it much faster. At the summit, it is simply phenomenal! To the south, we have a stunning view of the largest group of glaciers in Jotunheimen (primarily the Veobrean glacier) and dozens of two-thousand-meter peaks. It’s also interesting from the other side. While the northern slopes of Glittertind are very gentle, the southern side drops into a true abyss. At the bottom of this abyss lies the Grotbrean glacier, picturesquely divided into two parts by a massif with the charming name Trollsteineggje (2,300 m n.p.m.).
On the summit of Glittertind, we take a long break for dinner. We light the gas stoves, and soon after, we are devouring freeze-dried meals and washing them down with tea. The only downside to a meal in such circumstances (at least in my case) was the need to put on four different layers of clothing. The temperature at the summit hovered around 0 degrees Celsius. Fed and rested, we hit the trail again. On the descent, we meet a few of our compatriots, clearly charmed by the perseverance of our brave girls (“Summitting with backpacks like that? You can tell they’re Polish!”).
Descent from Glittertind to Spiterstulen
From Glittertind, we descend towards the Spiterstulen hut. On this side, the trail also runs through a massive, stony desert. Views to the north remain excellent, and those to the west are slowly being revealed as well. It gets a bit more demanding at about 2,000 m n.p.m. Here, we have to overcome a steep section of descent on a loose, treacherous path. We must maintain maximum concentration, especially since the multi-kilogram backpack doesn’t make this section any easier. I must admit, this place dented our morale a bit. At one point, I find a convenient moment, stop, and pull chocolate out of my pack – a reliable way to improve mood and motivation. And indeed, it seems easier to go down after that. For statistics enthusiasts, I quote from Strava that on the kilometer with this demanding descent, we lost 380 meters of altitude.
At an altitude of approx. 1,700 m n.p.m., the terrain flattens significantly. We are now walking through a charming valley, with an unnamed river on the map flowing through the middle. The ground is still mainly stony, but the first bits of grass are starting to peek through here and there. Beautiful views spread out to the west from here. At one point, I realize that Galdhøpiggen, Norway’s highest peak and tomorrow’s goal, has appeared before my eyes in all its glory. The descent is quite pleasant: although I can feel the kilometers in my legs, everything around has become so idyllic…
The only difficulty on this section is crossing the unnamed river flowing through the center of the valley. Contrary to appearances, finding a suitable spot is not entirely obvious. In July, rivers are fed by melting glacier waters, and consequently, they are much wider than maps suggest. Izka finds this out the hard way, landing with a splash in the treacherous river at one point. But she’s a tough girl, she thinks nothing of it! I quite quickly repeat her mistake at another makeshift ford. Just over a kilometer further on, we have to cross the Skauta, which is also much wider than the map suggests. We carefully cross from one stone to another, constantly looking for the best alternative. At one point, I decide on a riskier move, which ends in shock therapy in the icy water for me. Luckily, the river is very shallow and it ended with wet boots.
Shortly after crossing the Skauta, we reach the junction of our trail with the path coming from Glitterheim via the Velsglupen pass. Our other three companions are already waiting for us there: Arek, Ania, and Dominik. We take a break together, basking in the afternoon sun and eating jelly beans. We look back at Glittertind, which looks quite inconspicuous from this perspective. Then, together, we tackle the last 350 meters of descent. Here, the trail takes the form of a clear, fairly wide path. The descent is accompanied throughout by a beautiful view of the Visdalen valley, where we intend to spend tonight.
Shortly after 5 PM, we report to the asphalt road connecting Spiterstulen with civilization. We reach the hut a dozen minutes later. With great satisfaction, I order a coffee – I feel like after a whole day of walking, I deserve it more than anyone! Spiterstulen is a very well-known place among Norwegian mountain hikers. It is famous primarily for being an excellent base for high mountain excursions. The owners claim that seventeen peaks exceeding 2,300 m n.p.m. are within a day’s hike of Spiterstulen. The hut itself, however, is located quite low, at 1,111 m n.p.m.
After coffee, we tackle the last section of today’s trek, which is simply moving a kilometer away from Spiterstulen. This hut, like Glitterheim, also has exclusive rights to organize overnight stays within a kilometer radius of the building. To camp for free, you have to go outside that radius. We set up camp in a wonderful spot by the swift and wide Visa River. Some brave ones even go for a swim in its icy waters. I happen to be one of the warmth-loving ones, so I only watch from a distance. In the evening, a large herd of wild reindeer wandered near our campsite. What can I say – it’s beautiful! And tomorrow? Tomorrow we’re going to Galdhøpiggen!
Trip date: July 23, 2024
Trip statistics: 19 km, 1,115 meters elevation difference
Thank you Jaromir and Marta for the beautiful photos used for this post! And if you are looking for more information about traveling in Jotunheimen click here.
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