Photo: Scott Sporleder

Trolltunga, Norway: The Most Terrifying Ledge in the World

Norway National Parks
by Matt Hershberger Jul 29, 2014

If you’ve ever watched an episode of Looney Tunes and seen the parts where Wile E. Coyote is standing on a slim ledge that then snaps off, sending him crashing to the desert floor below in a puff of dust, and thought, “Man, I’d love to do that sometime,” then I think I’ve found the place for you.

The place is called Trolltunga, and it’s both incredibly beautiful and incredibly terrifying. Trolltunga — which, as you may have figured out already, is Norwegian for “Troll Tongue” — sits at a height of 2,300 feet above the lake Ringedalsvatnet in Norway.

Natural formations like these seem to have been created less through processes involving plate tectonics and erosion, and more out of nature’s desire to basically dare humans to do stupid things, because the scenery around Trolltunga is breathtaking, and the ledge itself is pretty much the perfect photo spot. It’s also popular for incredibly strong people who want to show off in front of a dramatic and very possibly deadly backdrop.

As terrifying as it looks, though, there are no recorded fatal falls from Trolltunga — and that’s with the ledge lacking any sort of handrail, which authorities have declined to put in so as not to ruin the view. Man, that would not fly in America.

For more views of this incredible rock formation, check out Scott Sporleder’s photo essay, shot on location for Fjord Norway.

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