After 2 years of planning and delays because of the now obvious travel restrictions for the last couple of years. We finally had a trip lined up to backcountry ski the Troll Peninsular. The conditions in the buildup were looking perfect. The snow had stabilised to a solid pack, sunlight flood the fjords, and we had got hold of some local intel. It was looking to be perfect.
The Troll Peninsular; full of fjords, valleys and couloirs to explore
We arrived in glorious sunshine; the sun beaming down on our little black Suzuki with 450,000 km on the clock. With our rental picked up and it was onwards for the 6hr drive north. The city of Reykjavik and the surrounding lava fields making the landscape look other worldly, slowly transitioned to the flats and fjords of glaciated valleys. Making up for the brief night of sleep and early start to the day.Rivers and roads meandering through the countryside with the hints of green transitioning to a greater dusting of snow. The snow-covered peaks becoming more and more enticing as we travelled further north. We stopped briefly for a coffee and a donut on the way.
Arriving at the Airbnb for the week, the wood cabin had the smell of hot pine as the sun streamed through its large south-facing windows looking over the valley. We could make out many peaks and options to ski. We spent the evening poring over maps, avalanche and weather reports, deciding over the next day’s adventures. Despite our best hopes, the forecast had transitioned from days of sunshine to an outlook of a cold snap and cloud cover. With it being so bright outside, we hadn’t realised the time, despite having a long day of travel. The excitement of the next day’s adventures was keeping us going. It was time to catch up on some sleep with black out blinds drawn and fortunately a handy eye mask I had picked up whilst travelling. It was time to rest ahead of an early start and the first day of skiing.
Rising the next day and slowly lifting the blinds to unveil a sea of clouds. They hid the peaks beneath a blanket of white and shrouding the slopes in flat light. Bags packed with everything we needed to hit the backcountry and car loaded up we headed to our trail head. A short drive from where we were staying. The first stage was to hike up to the snow line, up the valley we headed with the peaks occasionally sneaking out from behind the layer of clouds. We arrived at the white of the beginning of the “snow line”. It was hard packed as our skis crunched and cracked across its surface. Seeing a nearby peak, we opted to head up. We slowly inched our way up the mountain. Making it to a false summit and with conditions getting icier, we opted to make a descent. The hard crust providing plenty of grip but not the pleasant spring corn we had been hoping for. Undeterred, we headed further into the valley. After climbing a couple of different areas further and further into the valley, we finally found some soft snow to play in. Boot packing up the line, donning skis and then heading back down the way we had come. The turns felt glorious. There may not have been bountiful amounts of powder, but the smoother conditions were a great finish for the day! Speeding back down the valley, we found a cut through that followed a meandering stream back to the roadside. It wasn’t quite a summit to sea descent, but we were close enough.
Day 2 brought tougher conditions. The weather report looked to be marginally better in a fjord to the west of us. Chasing the sun, we travelled through the tunnel separating the two fjords. On a side note, the tunnels in some areas are a single lane, a little daunting seeing car lights heading straight toward you and trying to judge when best to pull into a layby. Exiting the tunnel, we thought we had hit the jackpot and travelled to a completely different country!! Perfect blue skies. Spotting a face that was bathed in sunlight and was a closed ski resort, we headed up the track, passing a heli ski port whilst we prepared to hike up the mountain. Ski boots on and a short walk to the snow, we were soon skinning up. It was even harder than the previous day, reminding me of skiing in Scotland. Despite its hard nature, the sun was beaming, and it felt like it might soften ever so slightly. Meandering further and further up the mountainside, we passed a group of ski tourers who had clearly opted to skip some ski time with some avalanche skills, hoping for softer conditions. We headed on up as some clouds rolled in. The once hard surface transitioned on our ascent to borderline solid ice. With our skins hardly gripping, it was time for a change of tactic. Boot crampons came out. Despite a variety of days and adventures out in the mountains, I had never had to put on crampons onto my ski boots. Luckily, I had thought I had correctly fitted my crampons the night before. I gingerly took each ski off, replacing them with a crampon on each foot and skis on my back. It was not the quickest or slickest of operations. And is definitely something I wish I had practised on the flat. I quickly realised something was not right, as I could see a gap at the front of my toe piece. Rather than heading further up the slope to a flat section, I opted to head back down, thinking that if I slipped at least I would have less distance to slip. The descent was certainly not my smoothest, with the crampon falling off one or the other foot. At finally both feet at the same time. Finally reaching the base of the slope and realising the conditions were going to be equally terrible across the range, we called it a day. Quietly heading down the mountain in a depressed state, back to base. The mood being marginally lifted by excess chocolate on the car ride back. It was maybe a great learning day, but it certainly was not my finest. We headed into Akureyri for a spot of tourist time.
Day 3, with a similar forecast from the prior day and no heat on the horizon to soften up the icy conditions, we opted for a low aspect and exploratory day. It transpired that even exploration was going to be a challenge with an even lower cloud and incredibly flat light. The valley we chose had looked incredible, though, so we headed on up to the start. We drove a reasonable way up to the start along a dirt road before hiking up a path to meet the snow. A gentle breeze blew and occasional snow flakes fluttered about the place. We were soon aligning up the valley, picking our way amongst rocks and heather. Past couloirs which were clearly out of the question in their current state. The snow was, however, softer than the prior day, tempting us to head further back in the valley towards higher elevations. We continued to assess and adjust our line on toward a high ridge line above us. With Brian in the lead, we arrived at a band of rocks and the shoulder before the summit. Unable to see the top, the wind picked up and with no change on the horizon; we took what we had gained and headed back down the mountain. It wasn’t the longest of descents, but the work had paid off to deliver some hard won turns. Arriving at the base of the bowl to debate whether to head up another section and we decided for us as the clouds cloaked even the lower faces. It wasn’t a full white out but conditions were definitely getting worst. It was time to head to the car. Our downhill return turned out to be not so downhill as we spent the next hour poling our way back.
Day 4 we weren’t sure what the day would bring. The forecast was for snow overnight and the day looked very mixed. With forecasts changing from cloud to a mixture of rain and snow. Rising the next morning, we ate breakfast looking down at the valley coated in a few inches of snow. Given our exploration success, we opted to go back to our first valley. We knew the aspect of the slopes and, based on the current conditions, reckoned we could find something safe and skiable. The bonus of the snow was we could ski from the road!! Despite the colder conditions, the valley was alive with the sound of birds and gurgling brooks. We even spotted some white ptarmigans, hoping about some rocks. We quietly skirted past, trying not to scare them. The conditions felt fantastic. We selected our first summit of the day. The ascent was going really well, felt really grippy until close to the ridgeline where the new snow slid relatively easily off the old hard surface. We had reached the best balance in height and conditions. We headed down to some glorious powder turns. The visibility still was pretty terrible with flat light, making it a real challenge to make out the sides of the gully we skied through. With plenty of juice left in our tanks and huge grins across our faces, we spotted a skin track started by some other skiers heading up a nearby peak. With tonnes of lines to choose from, we headed on up the mountain. The skimo racers in us pushing ever closer to them before catching up with the skiers before reaching the top. The ski down was equally epic! Not done. There was time for one last lap. Part of the face looked like an artist’s canvas blank and waiting for the art to begin. Carving S turns down the spotless face before speeding down the valley and a short hike to the car.
Day 5: our last day of skiing. With more snow forecasted over night and mixed conditions predicted in the afternoon, we opted for an earlier start. Amongst the clouds, in the early morning light, were hints of sunshine and blue skies. Even the animals seemed to be more awake with the valley full of sounds of gurgling brooks and bird song. With higher cloud levels and visibility rising, we could see our prior days ski tracks. Heading up the valley, we selected this pyramid like peak to head up. The sun had come out in full force as the snow softened up much quicker than expected. Reaching a high point where the snow conditions worsened and with clouds sweeping in, we opted to head down. Skis on and we could still feel the hard crust beneath the now heavier snow sitting on top. Creating a parallel snaking pattern on the way down to a mid point before transitioning back to skis for a hike up to a higher ridge line. Meandering back and forth on our way to the high point, we could make out some ski tracks along the ridge before they disappeared into another valley. The sun had come out in full force again and was baking down on us, making for hot work on the ascent. Arriving to incredible vistas all the way to the sea. A head we could make out, the team of skiers who had traversed a head of us and were now climbing an adjacent peak. It looked really quite spectacular. It was time to head down, transitioning back to skis, and we were heading back down the mountainside. The snow by this stage was becoming heavier the lower we got. To reduce as much poling as possible, we sped up and tucked to gain as much speed down into the valley floor as possible. The wind whooshing past our ears, skirting small streams and clumps of undergrowth that poked through the snowy surface. On the way back to the car, a couple of transitions between skis and boots to arrive at the car.
Iceland had been an incredible skiing adventure. Providing infinite skiing options and despite the variable conditions, had given us a real taste of what Icelandic skiing offered. It hadn’t disappointed. The last couple of days had more than made up for some of the earlier days’ trials and tribulations. We woke to a few more inches of snow that had fallen overnight taking the snowline down to the shore side. It has been the one aspect we had both thought of being able to ski from summit to re sea. It would have to wait for another adventure!
Having fun in Iceland!!!