How to get to High Hrothgar

Getting to Ivarstead: walking, carriage or horse

Ivarstead is a small mill town in the western Rift, southeast of Whiterun and west of Riften. On foot from Whiterun, take the road east past the stables, follow the White River, and turn south where the road climbs into the Rift; the town is roughly a ten minute walk. From Riften, head west along the road past Lake Honrich.

Carriages only run between hold capitals, so you cannot ride straight to Ivarstead in the base game. The closest stops are Whiterun and Riften, 20 gold each from any major city. With Hearthfire, the carriage you hire for your own homestead can drop you in Ivarstead for free.

A horse can carry you up the steps, and UESP notes a shortcut: from the Whiterun Stormcloak Camp you can ride almost straight up the mountainside to the monastery, skipping Ivarstead and most of the climb.

Climbing the 7,000 Steps

The stairs start at the bridge on the south side of Ivarstead, where Klimmek and Gwilin are talking. Klimmek makes the delivery to the Greybeards every few weeks but is getting too old for it; take his bag of supplies and you can earn a leveled gold reward when you return.

The path is a long stone stair with ten etched tablets along it, each telling part of the story of the dragons and the Way of the Voice. Activate all ten in any order and you gain Voice of the Sky: for 24 hours animals neither attack nor flee from you. There is a hidden iron ore vein on the hill to the right of the third tablet. Two pilgrims, Barknar and Karita, rest along the way and are worth a chat.

Despite the name, UESP counts only about 700 actual steps. It is still a long climb, and the snow hides drops on the outer edge.

Dangers on the way up

Expect leveled wolves near the bottom and ice wraiths or snow bears higher up. The real problem is the frost troll that waits shortly after the fourth tablet, where the stairs squeeze between two cliffs. It regenerates health and hits hard for a low-level character. Options:

• Fire works best: fire spells, a flame atronach, a fire-enchanted weapon or Fire Breath.
• Back off when it raises its arms, and let Karita help if you retreat down the stairs.
• Run straight past it; it is slow. Unrelenting Force staggers it long enough to sprint away.
• Sneak past at night or climb the rocks on the left of the ravine.
• Nords can use Battle Cry and Wood Elves Command Animal to make it back off.

The frost troll appears at every level, so do not wait to outlevel it.

What happens when you arrive

Outside High Hrothgar, between the two curved staircases, is the blue offering chest for Klimmek's supplies. It and the sacks beside it never respawn, so they are safe storage.

Inside, Master Arngeir greets you and asks you to prove you are Dragonborn by shouting at the Greybeards. Then the training starts: Einarth teaches Ro, the second word of Unrelenting Force, and you knock down three phantom targets. In the courtyard Borri teaches Wuld for Whirlwind Sprint, and you must pass through a gate before it closes (a normal sprint works too). Arngeir then sends you after the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller in Ustengrav. Once that quest is done, everything in the monastery can be taken freely.

Enter through the front door. Coming in from the courtyard door can leave the Greybeards standing around and the quest stuck.

Fast travel to High Hrothgar afterwards

After your first visit the monastery is a map marker like any other, and fast travelling there avoids the troll, the pilgrims and the climb entirely. You will come back for the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, Season Unending, and the walk up to the Throat of the World to meet Paarthurnax. The wind wall above the courtyard deals 25 cold damage per second until you learn Clear Skies from the Greybeards.