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PAINANI

PAINANI · RUN / LOCAL

37 · Vestland, Norway

Stoltzekleiven

Run 900 metres of stone steps from Fjellveien to the notch under Sandvikspilen: 300 m of gain at a 35.8 percent average grade, up only, in Bergen's rain.

Trail runningStair runningOne way
0.9 kmDistance300 mElevation gainHardSite gradeBergenNearest base

Site grade

HardFeatured

300 m of gain in 900 m, a grade between 20 and 40 percent that averages 35.8 percent and steepens toward the top. Nothing is technical when dry; the stone is wet on most days of the year and the descent is the injury.

The experience

The course gains 300 m in 900 running metres. The grade sits between 20 and 40 percent and averages 35.8 percent, and it gets steeper the higher you go. Hands on knees is normal; the organizer advises walking the start.

The race was first run in 1979 for the centenary of Fjellveien with 50 runners. It now fills more than 6,000 places and the group entries went in under a minute when registration opened at 07:00 on 20 May 2026.

The path was an old cattle track called Rævaskaret. The Sandviksguttenes forening asked the city for money in 1935 and unemployed youth laid some 600 stone steps as relief work; it was named after the merchant Gerhard Stoltz, whose family disliked the honour. Bergen kommune rebuilt the stair in 2011; it mailed local firms a stone from the path with a request for support, and they answered with a million kroner.

Where the sources disagreeThe stair is treated as one-way, up: the tourist board calls it a one-way street going up, and the organizer's race map sends you down by the marked Skredderdalen path, about 30 minutes, not back down the steps. Bergen's Florida station recorded 213 days with more than 1 mm of rain in 2024 and a 1991 to 2020 annual normal of 2,495 mm, so the stone is wet most mornings. Race day is not a training day: no poles, no child carriers, no runners under ten, and the organizer warns off anyone with heart or lung disease. The published numbers disagree with each other: 300, 313.5 and 315.5 m of height, 800 to 908 steps, 834 to 910 m of length. We print the organizer's course profile and list the rest.

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Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartStart gate on Fjellveien, 200 m south of the Bergen secondary substation, SandvikenFinishThe notch below Sandvikspilen on SandviksfjelletDirectionUp only. Descend by the marked path through Skredderdalen or by the gravel road to Fløyen; the stair is treated as one-way.
  1. 01Fjellveien start gate
  2. 02Two pines at the first split
  3. 03Halfway shelf
  4. 04Wooden stairs
  5. 05Finish below Sandvikspilen

Route sections

01 · The Soft LieFjellveien gate to the two pines
The path winds up in easy bends between big pines and you cannot see what is coming. The organizer's first split is here: 270 m in, 50 m up. Most first-timers have already gone out too hard.02 · The Step LedgerTwo pines to halfway
Stone flights with no rhythm to settle into; the treads were counted at 669 sure stone steps in 2003 and nobody agrees on the total. Split two comes at 495 m and 145 m of gain.03 · The SteepeningHalfway to the wooden stairs
From here the course only gets steeper. A flatter shelf before the wooden staircase is the one rest the hill gives; the organizer says even the fastest admit to walking.04 · The Timber FinishWooden stairs to the finish
One hundred wooden treads with a handrail and the finish line in the notch under Sandvikspilen. On race day there is a t-shirt, warm blackcurrant and a banana. Any other day there is the view and the wind.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

West-coast maritime weather. Bergen's Florida station has a 1991 to 2020 normal of 2,495 mm of rain a year and logged 213 days above 1 mm in 2024. The tourist board grades the stair spring to autumn and advises against winter, when the stone ices. The organizer publishes a StormGeo five-day forecast for the course before the race.

Season & timing

Managed seasonNo managed season. The stair is open all year; the local trip guide lists March to October.Best windowA dry September weekday morning, or the last weekend of September to watch or run the race. Skip it after a night of rain and skip it in ice.Race timingStoltzekleiven Opp 2026: Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September, starts from 09:15 to 18:00, seeded group Saturday from about 12:45. Individual entry opened 27 and 28 May; group entry sold out in under a minute on 20 May. Family day on the stair follows on the Sunday.SurfaceStone steps laid in the 1930s and rebuilt in 2011, tree roots and rock between flights, a flatter shelf, then a wooden staircase with handrails before the finishDirectionUp only. Descend by the marked path through Skredderdalen or by the gravel road to Fløyen; the stair is treated as one-way.

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

01

The wooden gate that reads STOLTZEKLEIVEN across the path

02

The first two pines where the timing split is

03

The moment the grade goes past 35 percent and stays there

04

The wooden staircase appearing through the birches

05

Sandviken and the harbour under you at the notch

GRADIENT

35.8 %

The average grade of the race course, by the organizer's own profile

IL Varegg measures 300 m of height over 840 m horizontal, with the grade between 20 and 40 percent and steepest at the top. The club calls it the world's steepest uphill race; the men's record is 7:46, set in 2019.

Access & logistics

AccessThe start is at the northern end of Fjellveien in Sandviken, 200 m south of the electricity substation. Walk up from Sandviken or the city centre, or take Skyss bus 10, which stops near Varegg Arena. There is no parking at the gate.PermitsNone. Public path, free at any hour outside the race. During Stoltzekleiven Opp the stair is a race course with timed start slots and a bib; entry is 495 kroner over 18 and 235 kroner at 17 or under, and places sell out in May.BookingsNone to run it. For the race, register at stoltzen.no in late May; new runners must create a profile first. The organizer carries a bag of dry clothes to the top if you hand it in 20 to 30 minutes before your start.WaterNone on the path. On race day there is Olden water and warm blackcurrant at the finish. Carry your own otherwise.FoodNothing on the hill. Sandviken and the centre below have cafés.Mobile coverageUrban coverage the whole way.DurationNo land-manager time. The organizer's course profile gives three timing splits; the men's course record is 7:46 and the 2025 winners ran 8:22 and 9:53.

Key hazards

  • ▲Wet and icy stone steps
  • ▲Descending the stair against uphill traffic
  • ▲High heart rate on a 35.8 percent grade
  • ▲Crowds on race weekend and on dry Sunday afternoons
  • ▲No water on the path
  • ▲Wind at the notch after a sweaty climb

SafetyOrientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance. Warm up, walk the first flights, do not descend the stair, and stay off it in ice.

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-16 · Record CETC-RUN-037 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Cavernia · CC BY-SA 3.0