Nestled in Iceland’s wilderness, just a few hours from its capital, 3 stunning glacier-covered volcanoes are just waiting to be explored! With an endless number of slopes and challenging ascents, Iceland’s volcanoes present the ultimate ski touring adventure. Discover remote parts of Iceland formed by forces of rivers, glacial ice, and volcanic and geothermal activity, and see the sights along the way. Ascend three stunning peaks: the iconic Snæfellsjökull Glacier on the beautiful Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the world-famous Eyjafjallajökull Glacier, well known for the troubles it caused for air travel during its eruption in 2010, and Iceland’s highest summit, Hvannadalshnúkur (6,921 ft), towering over Vatnajökull icecap—the largest one in Europe. Freeriders will definitely enjoy shredding fresh, world-class powder from the top, so take full advantage of the snowpack and enjoy the stunning variety of Icelandic mountain scenery!
Take on Iceland’s magnificent glacier-covered volcanoes on this ultimate six-day ski touring adventure! Join your experienced local guide as you overcome three stunning volcanic peaks, taking in the breathtaking variety of Iceland’s mountain scenery on the way. Spend your nights in hotels, and your days conquering challenging and rewarding volcanic objectives, culminating with a summit attempt on Hvannadalshnúkur, Iceland’s highest peak!
Start the tour with an early morning pick up in Reykjavík and head out towards the Snæfellsnes peninsula. A two-hour drive takes you to the foot of the Snæfellsjökull Glacier, a 700,000 years old dormant volcano, rising 1446 m/4,744 ft above sea level! Start ascending the glacier and in about 6-7 hours you will be rewarded with a sensational panoramic view from the top. Return to the foot of the glacier and enjoy a hot meal and a warm bed.
Spend your second day skiing on the Snæfellsnes peninsula and afterwards, head south to explore the fascinating waterfalls of Hraunfossar. Discover the well known Golden Circle, including Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir. Spend the evening in a hotel at the foot of the Eyjafjallajökull Glacier.
Note: The days skiing will be based on weather and snow conditions but there are plenty of greater slopes on the Snæfellsnes peninsula to choose from.
On day three, it is time for the second challenge—the famous Eyjafjallajökull glacier (sometimes referred to as E15) that caused a lot of problems for air travel when it erupted in 2010. The glacier is 1651 m/5,417 ft high, and boasts magnificent views from the top. The ascent will take about 8-10 hours. After reaching your goal for today, return to the foot of the glacier and enjoy a well-deserved dinner.
Spend Day 4 sightseeing the South Coast, relax, and prepare for the final challenge. Heading further east along the beautiful south coast of Iceland, enjoy the spectacular scenery along the way. The highlights include the black sand beach of Reynisfjara, the picturesque village Vík, Skaftafell national park and the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón and its spectacular diamond beach. Once you reach Hvannadalshnúkur, have dinner with your group and rest for tomorrow’s challenges!
There’s a long day ahead of you! Today’s challenge is Hvannadalshnúkur (2110m / 6922ft), the highest peak of Iceland. With a climb of 2000 m/6562 ft that will take about 10-12 hours, this is the biggest undertaking of this trip. Still, with great challenges come great rewards—once you’re up there, you’ll officially be standing on the top of Iceland with a panoramic view like no other. The ultimate reward, however, will be skiing down the 2000 m/6562 ft slope! Once you’re all skied out, return to your accommodation and savor the delicious dinner and reminisce about today’s victories.
Note: In case snow/weather conditions are not good on Hvannadalshnúkur, your guide will have to change the itinerary to another similar summit in the area.
After five days of fun and adrenaline-inducing adventure, it is time to head back to Reykjavík. Stop by the impressive Skógafoss waterfall along the way and head back home in the late afternoon.
What you get in this adventure:
Special dietary requirements can be accommodated. If you require a special diet, let us know upon booking.
What’s not included:
To enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to be in excellent physical shape. You will be on your feet for 4-12 hours a day for 6 full days, covering 6-10 miles (10-15km) of terrain every day. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.
Clients takes full responsibility for meeting the physical fitness level requirement of the trip. Clients that are physically unfit or not equipped for their tour can be dismissed from the tour at their own expense.
To participate in this tour, you need to have previous powder skiing experience. You will be skiing, touring, and summiting on glaciated terrain for 5-7 hours every day. Your guide will take care of the planning, oversee your technique, and teach you how to better manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training necessary to keep you safe.
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
Keep in mind that renting ski touring equipment in Iceland can be tricky, and you’re better off bringing your own equipment if possible.
Ski rental locations are in Reykjavik and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group sizes and prices:
If your skiing party is larger than six people, please contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
Because this tour requires a minimum enrollment of four people, if you are booking alone, your reservation is subject to change up until the last day if the minimum enrollment is not reached (but fear not, as that is rarely the case!).
Min. age requirements:
If your group has skiers under the age of 16, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Reykjavik, most people fly into Keflavik International Airport, about 45 minutes away. From there, you can rent a car or take a shuttle service. Once you get to Reykjavik, your guide will pick you up before heading out of the city towards the Snæfellsnes peninsula
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Iceland, please read the Official COVID-19 updates by the Icelandic Government.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
Deposits
You can secure one of the set dates with a 30% deposit upon booking. The remaining 70% of the trip price is to be paid 90 days prior to departure, at the latest.
Cancellations
Booking fees are non-refundable in all cases. During checkout, however, you can choose one of 57hours’ flexibility options:
Basic
Flexible
Super Flexible
All rates are based on current purchasing prices in Iceland. Your guides reserve the right to change prices without notice due to inflation, changes in oil prices, government taxes, or any other cost increases that are outside the guide’s control. Your guides will absorb an amount equivalent to 5% of the price. Amounts that exceed the 5% will be charged and clients will be entitled to cancel their booking with a full refund if the surcharge exceeds 10%. Eventual changes in rates will not be made with less than 4 weeks’ notice before departures or on bookings already made and confirmed.
Your guides reserve the right to alter tours and itineraries due to weather or road conditions. All programs can be changed or cancelled at any moment during the trip to assure the safety of the clients and staff. No responsibility is accepted for losses, expenses due to delays, changes of flights, or other services or because of strikes, accidents, sickness, damage, negligence, weather, war, changes in schedules, or other similar causes.
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