Icetroll

Glacier and river adventures from Jostedal

Icetroll runs guided glacier hiking, ice climbing, kayaking, whitewater rafting and zipline tours from Jostedal, in the Jostedalsbreen National Park and Sognefjord area of Norway. It is an operator with its own guides, not a booking platform: the About page describes how the company grew "from 1 over-worked, not paid, guide in 2003 to 17-20 guides from around the world each summer season," and it is signed by Andy Cullens & Anna Zäll. The homepage says "we are a short drive from Luster, Skjolden and Sogndal, making our tours a perfect day trip," and bills the valley as "Exclusive to Jostedal, Norway."

The tours carry the company's playful Norse branding: RiverPig White-Water Rafting, SkyRavn Ziplines named for Odin's ravens Huginn and Muninn, and a promise to "Follow in the footsteps of Norway's mythical trolls" on the ice. The homepage calls Jostedal the "Home of Two World-First Adventure Combinations," meaning its pairings of rafting and ziplining.

Glacier hiking and kayaking on the lakes

The homepage says the company specializes "in glacier hiking, ice climbing and kayaking," with tours ranging from "a family-friendly outing in nature" to "a challenging two-day trek across majestic glaciers and mountains." Its short pitch reads: "Paddle the glacier lakes, traverse the crevasses and climb the blue ice."

The Our Locations page describes the lakes it paddles. Tunsbergdalsvatnet was dammed in 1978, turning "a two-km-long lake" into "a seven-km-long lake" that "now comes up to within two km of Norway's longest glacier arm, Tunsbergdalsbreen." It sits at 478m above sea level when full and can be drained 38m for hydropower. Styggevatnet, completed in 1989, joined two small lakes into "a single reservoir of six km length and 90m depth" at 1,200m above sea level, where water drops up to 1,180m through the turbines, which the page says produces "the highest head-pressure on any turbines in Northern Europe." The same reservoir, the page notes, holds back water that once threatened to flood the valley, so "Major flooding is now a thing of the past for Jostedal locals." On Tunsbergdalsvatnet, it adds, the top 7 meters hold more than 50% of the volume. Nigardsbrevatnet lies in a Nature Reserve, which the page says has "heavier protection than a National Park." At 285m, it is the lowest lake, so tours begin there in May and end there in October "when the other lakes are freezing."

Because the big lakes are part of Norway's hydropower grid, the company says it encourages "discussion on nature and energy resources" on its tours. It describes the kayaking as "wonderful, quiet, areas away from the masses."

Rafting on the Jostedøla

According to the About page, rafting began in 2009 on the Jostedøla, the glacier river that runs from Styggevatnet down to Sognefjord. Trips start "at Jostedal Camping, in the village of Gjerde, going down the river for 6-7km." In 2010 the company opened a second section "through the village of Myklemyr, an amazing area of class 4 white-water."

The rafting page lists its tours with ages and lengths, all running 25 May - 15 Sep: Little Piggies (Age 4+, 1.5 hours), Loke (Age 4+, 3 hours), Elvepurka (Age 12+, 2.5 hours), Odin (Age 12+, 4 hours) and Boss Hog (Age 18+, 3.5 hours). The page says "the waves get bigger and bigger the further we go," so "if you are nervous, you can relax and if you have had enough whitewater for one day we can take you out of the raft at any time." It adds a local legend: a "child-eating Elvepurka," a big old pig said to live in the river. Families are pointed to the "gentle Little Piggies tours" and thrill-seekers to Boss Hog.

Ziplines, films and accessible tours

In 2025 the company opened zipline tours "in a canyon of the river, between the Breheimsenter and Jostedal Hotell & Jostedal Camping," and says "The most exciting part of this next adventure is being able to connect ziplines to white-water rafting in the same tour!"

Icetroll also works with film crews. The About page says crews have come from Japan, Germany, the UK, the USA, Brazil, Sweden and Belgium as well as Norway, for everything from advertising to reality TV and documentaries. Its media page lists productions including BBC 'Christmas Lectures', NRK 'Norge Rundt', NRK 'Monsen på Villspor', the Norwegian movie 'Villmark', Japanese TV 'Bullet Travel' and the American Cable Show 'Dual Survivor', and offers glacier scouting and permits, ice and crevasse logistics, safety management, risk assessment and drone or helicopter coordination.

The homepage and rafting page carry an "Accessible TOURS" panel: "Norways wild nature is available for everyone. Nothing stops us showing you a good time in these spectacular Norwegian National Parks!" The About page says the aim of each tour is "to introduce nature to clients. Show folks how enjoyable and accessible it is for most everyone," with guides on hand for "a hand for comfort, a bit of encouragement or tips and tricks," and ends: "From the Mini-Trolls, to the grizzly old RiverPigs among us, there is a trip for you."

Booking and contact

The footer links a contact page, an FAQ, Gift Cards, an Environmental Sustainability page and T&Cs, and the website runs in English, German, Dutch, Spanish, French and Norwegian.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The site does not show prices, meeting points or durations for the glacier hiking and kayaking tours on the homepage, and its accessible-tours panel does not say which adaptations are offered. It does not state which languages guides work in or what certifications they hold beyond calling them "qualified guides," and booking and cancellation rules sit in the separate T&Cs.

What stands out is range in one valley: kayaking on glacier lakes, ice climbing, a two-day trek, rafting from age 4 up to class 4 water, and ziplines over the river. That suits families and active travelers staying around the Sognefjord who want a guided day on ice or water, and groups who want to combine rafting and ziplining. Travelers visiting outside the May to October kayaking season, or the shorter rafting season, will find less on offer.