Ridderspranget Gorge

Ridderspranget - The knight's daring canyon jump

Ridderspranget, the knight's jump, is an impressive, 8 meter deep gorge not far from Reichsstraße 51 in the eastern Jotunheimen Mountains (signposted). The wild foaming water of the Sjoa makes its way through the middle of lichen and pine-clad slate rock and rushes through glacier mills. Here you can feel the power of nature and at the same time follow the traces of an old Norwegian legend.

It is said that it was in the 14th century when knight Sigvard Kvie from Vang in the Valdres in the village of Vågå went on bride robbery. With the beautiful maid Skårvangssola, who was actually promised to the Sandbu knight Ivar Gjesling, in his arms, he fled from his pursuers and headed his horse straight for the gorge. The steed skipped this. He pushed the first of his pursuers, a loyal Ivar, into the ravine as a warning sign of what would be threatened by those to come.

The gorge is about 30 kilometers north of the Besseggen ridge, south of Vågå.

impressive how the water masses roar through the narrow gorge