The Chains on the Kjerag Trail
What using them is like
You grip and pull, the way you would on a steep staircase with a banister. On the way up they give you something to lean against when the slab is too smooth for confident footwork. On the way down they matter more, because descending steep rock on tired legs is the part of this hike that hurts people, and the chain is what stops a slip becoming a slide.
The first set arrives early, which surprises people who expect a warm-up. You leave the car park at Øygardstøl, climb, and you are on chains before you have properly settled into the walk. For a lot of visitors that first set is the decision point, and turning round there is a perfectly respectable thing to do. I watched plenty of people do it and almost none of them regretted it.
Wet rock is the whole reason
The slabs are not dangerous because they are high. They are dangerous because water sits on them and the friction disappears. Visit Norway’s advice for Kjerag is to turn back in strong wind, heavy rain or fog, and the chains exist in the places where that advice matters most. If you arrive at the first set in driving rain, you have been given a clear piece of information about the rest of the day. What that looks like in practice is on hiking in the rain.
Why they disappear in winter
What works
- In season they turn three steep slabs into something most walkers can manage
- They make the descent considerably safer than it would otherwise be
- No harness, no clipping in, nothing to learn before you go
- They are maintained and reinstalled with the road each spring
Worth knowing
- They come down when the road closes, so winter is a different mountain
- They are handrails, not a safety system — nothing catches you
- Wet chain and wet rock together are still slippery
- Gloves are worth having; cold metal on a raw morning is unpleasant
Out of season the hike needs winter equipment and a guide, and the missing chains are a large part of why. The seasonal pattern is on the road page, and what the whole route actually does, climb by climb, is on the trail page.
Take a thin pair of gloves even in July. Hauling on a wet chain for several hundred metres of slab does unpleasant things to bare hands, and it is the single item people most often wish they had put in the bag.
What there is to book
Not the trail. Nobody sells a ticket to Kjerag and nobody could, because there is no gate and nobody standing at one. What you pay for is the ride out of Stavanger and the guide who walks it with you, and the road up is open for about five months a year. The options are laid out on the bookings page and compared on the decision page.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need climbing experience for the chains?
No. They are handrails on steep rock. No equipment is needed and none is provided.
Are the chains there all year?
No. They are removed when the road closes for winter and reinstalled when it opens.
What if I am not comfortable on the first set?
Turn round. The first chains come early and they are a fair preview of the rest. See how hard it is.