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To belay on a rope at a Norwegian climbing wall you need a Brattkort, the national belay certificate. Here's what the three levels mean, how a visitor gets one, what it costs, and when you can climb without one.
If you want to climb on a rope at a Norwegian climbing wall, sooner or later someone will ask to see your Brattkort. It's the national belay certificate, run by the Norwegian Climbing Federation (Norges Klatreforbund), and almost every wall in the country uses it. Here's how it works, what it costs, and how to climb as a visitor who doesn't have one.
The Brattkort shows that you can belay safely. Since autumn 2024, when it replaced the old Topptaukort and Autobelaykort, it has come in three levels:
The card is digital and lives on brattkompetanse.no. The old red paper cards are no longer valid, and upgrading one costs NOK 300. More than 10,000 people get a new Brattkort every year, and more than 100,000 have held one.
You take a Brattkort course, usually at a climbing wall or through a club, and then the Brattkort test, at least a day after the course (the auto-belay test can follow straight on). In the test you put on your harness, tie in, do a partner check and belay, with an instructor backing you up and marking you against a checklist. Once you've passed, you register on brattkompetanse.no, accept the liability declaration and pay the federation's fee: NOK 400 for the lead or top-rope card, NOK 200 for auto-belay. Cards aren't issued to anyone under 13, young people up to 18 need a parent's consent, and from 18 the card is valid for life.
Prices vary a lot depending on what's included. In October 2026, for example, Fredrikstad Klatresenter charged NOK 790 for its top-rope course and Oslo Klatresenter NOK 890 for a three-hour course including entry and kit, while Vår Energi Arena Sørmarka in Stavanger charged NOK 1,590 for a two-day course and Vulkan Klatresenter in Oslo NOK 1,850 for five hours, in English on request. Tromsø Klatresenter's weekend course cost NOK 1,600 with the test and two weeks' free climbing included. If you can already belay, a test on its own usually costs NOK 100 to 250. The federation's card fee comes on top.
The federation's own pages don't cover foreign certificates, so it's up to each wall. Klatreverket in Drammen accepts an equivalent foreign card, as does Kraft Sportssenter in Tromsø, and Trønderhallen in Levanger accepts a signed declaration that you have the same skills. Vulkan and Oslo Klatresenter let experienced climbers book a belay test, bringing their own partner. If you're visiting, check the wall's rules before you go: a test is often the quickest way on to the ropes.
You never need a Brattkort to boulder, and many centres let you use their auto-belays after a short introduction from the staff; SiS Sportssenter in Stavanger runs a free 30-minute auto-belay course instead. The federation also lets an adult card holder bring along someone without a card, provided the card holder does the partner check and the belaying. Walls can set stricter rules of their own, though: Lehmkuhlhallen in Bergen, for example, asks everyone on its rope wall to show a Brattkort on their harness.
Some walls now go further than the card. Since 1 November 2025 Tromsø Klatresenter has required assisted-braking belay devices for lead and top-rope, and tube devices such as an ATC are no longer allowed indoors there, in line with the federation's goal of ending ground falls at indoor walls. If you bring your own kit, check what the wall accepts.
For where to climb, see our guides to climbing in Norway, Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger and Tromsø.
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