A few days ago I returned from an amazing ski trip to the Tröllaskagi peninsula in northern Iceland. Six days of ski touring was more than enough to make me fall in love with this amazing country and I cannot wait to return! I’d like to share some tips for planning your own backcountry ski trip to this enchanting country. I’m also a stickler for planning and will include my detailed personal gear list for this trip with comments on what worked and what didn’t. Hopefully this will help you plan your own adventure to the land of the vikings!
EDIT: April 2018 Ski Tours Information Here
General Information
So much is out there! Get an idea of what the country is about on Wikipedia then head over to the following websites for more ideas:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Iceland
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/iceland
Great info on best times to visit Iceland based on your objectives with some cool graphics at this new link: https://www.bookmundi.com/iceland/travel-guide/best-time-to-visit-iceland-276
While I love online resources when it comes to international travel I really like getting a physical travel guide. The Lonely Planet: Iceland is a few years newer (2015) than the competition so that is the one I picked up.
Flight Info
There are two airlines servicing US passengers to Iceland, Iceland Air and the relatively new budget airline WOW Air which started operating flights out of the Keflavík International Airport (KEF) hub in 2012. On the surface WOW Air seams to be a great value but you should factor in some of the additional charges they add that are included with Iceland Air.
While flights from Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) can run as little as $99.99 US one-way on WOW Air you need to consider the $106 extra in baggage fees that would be included when price shopping. Also Iceland Air includes non-alcoholic beverages and free WiFi while WOW charges $3 USD for any 8 ounce non-alcoholic beverage including water!
My opinion of WOW Air was damaged by the fact that they failed to load one of our parties ski bags on to our flight and were less than helpful locating it after we arrived. Luckily the ski bag was found at BOS when we returned to the states but not after our group member incurred expensive ski rental charges. It is our opinion that WOW Air customer service did not try to locate and ship the ski bag on any subsequent flights.
Regardless of which airline you choose the best way to get a solid deal is to subscribe to both of their email lists from their websites here and here. If you select seats on the left side of the plane you might enjoy some views of Greenland about halfway through your flight!
Getting to Akureyri
From Keflavík International Airport (KEF) which is a few minutes outside of the capital city of Reykjavík you can either take a short flight (45 minutes) on Iceland Air for about $200 USD, bus, or rent a car and enjoy the scenic 5 hour drive. To get around the northern part of the island a rental car is the way to go. I’d suggest an SUV at around $35-$45/day. GPS is really not needed for navigation as it is quite simple to get on Route 1 (The Loop Road) and follow it north to Akureyri. Roof boxes are an optional expense but might not be big enough for full size skis so if you are 2-3 skiers per vehicle you can save some money by putting down one of the back seats and easily fitting 3 ski bags inside the vehicle. If you are 4 to a vehicle make sure you request the largest of roof boxes!
Lodging in Akureyri
There are a ton of options in the area and Airbnb is the best place to look. We found the above pictured group lodging option about 10 minutes from downtown. There is a cool looking hostel right downtown but we liked being a little out of the hustle & bustle and having our own cabins made drying and organizing gear convenient, especially since the floors of these cabins seemed to have radiant heat (geothermal is everywhere!). Private jacuzzi’s were enjoyed every day after putting in some vertical human powered effort!
Eating in Akureyri
The closest grocery store was a “Bónus Langholt” conveniently on the north side of Akureyri. Expect to pay about 150% vs. US prices for anything imported (which is almost everything that isn’t fresh vegetables, dairy, seafood or lamb. There is quite a varied culinary scene in the downtown area. The one place that absolutely stood out was Noa Seafood. This place served our large group a 3 main course meal; arctic char, cod, spotted trout. Each cooked in a large skillet with fresh vegetables, potatoes, and perfect seasoning. There is no question I will return to Noa Seafood on my next visit! Slightly more affordable seafood soup can be found at Akureyri Fish and Chips.
The most important culinary experience to try while in Iceland is the hot dogs. Seriously they might be the best hot dog in the world. It’s a combination of the pork, beef, and lamp. They toast the buns. They add 2 types of onions, raw and fried, then 3 condiments the highlight of which being a delicious “remoulade” I regret not buying a bottle of before returning to the States. While the article I linked to above mentions one popular place I can assure you that the farthest gas station in northern Iceland still served up the most amazing dogs I’ve ever had. Almost everyone in our group ate 1-2 of these treats every day. No regrets. None.
Weather & Avalanche Info
The traditional ski season runs from December through April with best conditions and increasing daylight from February to mid-April. On good snow years the back-country skiing may be good through May. The best online resource I could find for current and forecast weather is here. This website also links to a fairly brief avalanche report here.
Ski Tours
We did all of our touring north of Dalvik and south of Ólafsfjörður mainly in the Karlsárdalur Valley. This area was recommended to us by friendly guides at Bergmenn Mountain Guides, the only IMFGA certified guide service in the country (and where our group member was able to rent a full touring set up at about $60/day). The trailhead forKarlsárdalur Valley is only 35 minutes from Akureyri and 2 minutes north of Dalvik. An often established mellow skin track takes you into this beautiful valley with a seemingly endless amount of tour options. We skied much of the south facing drainages with the most amount of time in the “third valley” on skier’s right. You can see our highpoint tour in this video and I may attach my GPS tracks here later.
The Topo map above is the best detailed map we could find at 1:50,000 scale and could be purchased from Penninn Eymundsson in downtown Akureyri.
Equipment
Here is my spreadsheet style list of what I am bringing. Below I will add some brief comments and links to each item:
| Item | Weight |
| Dakine Fall Line Double Ski Bag | 8 lbs |
| DPS Wailer 99 Tour 1 176 cm skis with Dynafit Speed Radical 2.0 Bindings | 7 lbs 6 oz |
| Arcteryx Procline Carbon Support Ski Mountaineering Boots, size 27/27.5 | 5 lbs 12 oz |
| Black Diamond Ultralite Mix Climbing Skins and storage sack | 1 lb 4 oz |
| Dynafit Ski Crampons | 8 oz |
| Black Diamond Ski Poles | 1 lb 6 oz |
| Ortovox S1+ Beacon | 8 oz |
| Ortovox Pro Alu Shovel | 1 lb 12 oz |
| Ortovox Probe | 10 oz |
| Ortovox Snow Saw | 8 oz |
| Black Diamond Raven Pro Mountaineering Axe | 15 oz |
| Petzl Vasak Crampons | 2 lb |
| Petzl Sirocco Helmet | 6 oz |
| Camp Alp Mountain Harness w/ ice clipper and storage sack | 11 oz |
| Climbing gear- two lockers, Reverso, double length sling, prussic | |
| 3 wire gates, climbing knife, 2 Petzl ice screws | 1 lb 5 oz |
| Sterling climbing rope, 30m, 8.4mm | 3 lbs |
| AMK .7 First Aid Kit | 9 oz |
| Leatherman Supertool | 11 oz |
| CRKT Lake 111 pocket knife | 3 oz |
| Suunto MC-2 Compass | 3 oz |
| Nalgene 32 oz water bottle | |
| Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Liner | 10 oz |
| SOL Emergency Bivy Sack | 4 oz |
| Revo Capsule Goggles and Buff | 8 oz |
| Revo Cusp S Sunglasses White w/ Solar Lens | |
| Revo Harness Sunglasses Black w/ Green Water Lens | |
| Petzl Myo Headlamp | 5 oz |
| Lighter | 1 oz |
| Three pairs of chemical hand warmers | 6 oz |
| Snow thermometer | 1 oz |
| Garmin Fenix 3 HR GPS watch | 3 oz |
| OREI European Plug Adapter | |
| iPhone 6s+ with headphones & charger | 10 oz |
| GoPro 5 Session with Polar Pro Tripod | 12 oz |
| Travel neck pillow | |
| Clothing | |
| Ortovox 3L Guardian Shell Jacket | 1 lb 14 oz |
| Ortovox 3L Guardian Shell Pants | 1 lb 10 oz |
| Arcteryx AR Hoody | 1 lb 2 oz |
| Ortovox Fleece Melange Hoody | 1 lb 2 oz |
| Outdoor Research Echo Hoody | 5 oz |
| Ortovox Rock’N’Wool boxers (2pair) | 8 oz |
| Ortovox Rock’N’Wool long sleeve top | 7 oz |
| Ortovox Rock’N’Wool bottoms | 7 oz |
| Outdoor Research Project Gloves | 6 oz |
| Ortovox Tec Gloves | 4 oz |
| Ski Socks (3 pair) | 8 oz |
| Outdoor research sun ball cap | |
| DPS Trucker Hat | |
| Bathing suit | 6 oz |
| Toiletry Kit- soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, contact solution, eyeglasses | 1 lb 4 oz |
Dakine Fall Line Double Ski Bag
I’ve used this for over 7 years with trips to the Washington, Nevada, and Colorado. While it is designed to hold two pairs of skis I only pack one pair and use the extra space for almost all my extra gear allowing me to only check one bag and carry on a small ski touring pack. Be sure to check max weight of ski bags for the airline you are flying (WOW airline to Iceland allows max weight of 60 lbs when you purchase a ski bag allowance).
The perfect size for day touring and ski mountaineering this pack is well designed through-out and will be my only carry-on luggage. Detailed review posting soon and will be linked here!
I’m rocking the ultralight Tour 1 model of these award winning skis but some may like the stiffer Pure 3 construction or super affordable Foundation model!
Dynafit Speed Radical 2.0 Bindings
A great match for my ski/boot combo these keep the uphill effort to a minimum while still providing excellent downhill control!
Arcteryx Procline Carbon Support Ski Mountaineering Boots
This boot is insanely comfortable on the up-track and performs quite well on the down. Not only that I can ice climb Grade 4 in them in with no issues making it an excellent ski mountaineering boot!
Black Diamond Ultralite Mix Climbing Skins
Lightest full coverage climbing skin I have ever tried! Another natural fit for this lightweight Spring touring setup!
Simple proven design for when it gets a bit too steep for just skins but you’d prefer to not boot pack it! Snow conditions were excellent during our trip and I did not use these but they are easy added insurance for icier skinning conditions.
Black Diamond Traverse Ski Poles
Simple proven design, I’ve had mine for 6+ years. Will look to upgrade down the road.
My personal beacon of choice for the last 5 years, and I have used just about every beacon on the market over that time frame as an active avalanche course instructor. This item deserves an long in-depth review but that will have to wait until after Iceland!
Ortovox Pro Alu Avalanche Shovel with Pocket Spike
A great solution to those ski mountaineering days when you can’t decide if you should bring a mountaineering axe or not!
A great choice for ski mountaineering and Spring conditions. Super light and quick to deploy.
No nonsense straight forward effective snow saw at a good price!
Black Diamond Raven Pro Ice Axe
This has been my mountaineering axe for almost 15 years and is the right balance of weight and durability. Perfect for when you need a bit more security than an improvised axe like the Pocket Spike or Whippet.
Petzl Vasak Leverlock Crampons
Make sure you select the Leverlock option! Best all around mountaineering crampon in my book! I have led grade 5 ice in them and walked hundreds of miles in them from Washington to Katahdin over the last decade and they are still going strong! Like my ski crampons snow conditions were so good these never saw use but there is definitely some terrain in Iceland where I would break these out. We saw some nice looking ice lines in a few spots that would have been good fun with technical ice tools.
Say what you will about the color but this thing saves some serious weight from your pack while skinning while providing excellent protection while climbing. A great ultra-light ski mountaineering option IMO.
Lightweight, pack-able, ice-clipper compatible, and able to put on while wearing skis. Everything I want in a ski mountaineering harness. Detailed review coming soon.
Sterling Evolution Duetto Dry Rope, 30m 8.4mm
A solid choice for glacier and ski mountaineering trips.
I customize mine a little but this is a great base kit at the price!
I’ve had mine for almost 15 years. No question it has come in clutch quite often!
Columbia River Knife Lake 111-z Serrated Edge Folding Knife
Simple serrated folding knife for multiple uses
My favorite and trusted compass/clinometer for the last two decades!
Nalgene Tritan 32 oz water bottle
A staple of every outdoor adventure
Sea to Summit Reactor Thermolite Sleeping Bag Liner
I’m not bringing a sleeping bag as we’ve rented a house with linens but this goes with me everywhere. It’s super comfy on airplanes as a blanket and in hostels around the world. I often carry it with my bivy sack as a “just in case” option.
Super affordable and weighs less than 4 ounces means there is never a reason not to bring this!
Pretty much the nicest goggles I have ever owned (and I’ve owned a lot!)
I have the Solar Orange lens on this pair for lower light conditions
I rock the Green Water lens on these for bright snow conditions
My headlamp of preference for winter adventure for almost a decade!
Fire-starter is on every gear list, and this one is a good value
I carry 2-3 pairs on every winter trip
Hands down the best price on a quality thermometer for avalanche work
My current favorite GPS navigation capable smartwatch with optical heart-rate!
Because you need one to charge your phone/electronics in Iceland and Europe and this one is the best price yet high rated one I could find!
Super light/compact affordable option to binoculars for scouting avalanche terrain/activity
I’m only bring 4 spares to cover both my headlamp and avalanche beacon but this is the best deal on quality AA’s I have ever seen. Performance all winter as been as good as any high end brand name alkaline I have ever used!
A great little HD cam with advanced features beyond this post. Look into it!
Works great with both my GoPro and my iPhone!
Always said I would buy one and I finally did. Seems good for the price!
Well that’s pretty much it for “gear”. Clothing is listed in the spreadsheet at the beginning and does not include a little bit of casual wear. I am bringing my beloved Aeropress and a pound of freshly ground beans from my friends at Frontside Coffee Roasters in my home town of North Conway, NH because;
- Good coffee is quite expensive in Iceland
- I love my Aeropress coffee first thing in the AM
I’ll link more to my clothing after the trip but as you can tell from the list above it is mostly Ortovox. They make some amazing stuff and I’ll post detailed reviews on what I’ve been using this winter soon.
Summary
Iceland is a beautiful country with incredibly friendly and helpful people. They are adjusting to the new explosion of tourism the country is experiencing and you might sense some of these growing pains from time to time. As a back-country ski touring destination it is 5 star trip and I can’t wait to return!
See you in the land of the vikings,
Northeast Alpine Start
Disclaimer: Affiliate links help support this blog. Author is a DPS and Revo ambassador and Ortovox Athlete and has received product support from these companies.
Northeast Alpine Start 
David,
How did you animate your GPS track on the Google Earth (?) imagery in the section of the final ski tour?
Iceland is a great country. My wife and I take college geology students there about every 4 years for 2-6 weeks of camping and touring the country. Have never been to the northwestern fjords however, looks like a beautiful area.
Cheers,
Dave
LikeLike
Hi Dave! That’s from the free Suunto Movescount app on iPhone! Imagery is low res Suunto data and not Google Earth. Pretty cool huh?
LikeLike
Thanks Dave,
Check out this video of another ski tour in Iceland. This is on Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano that shut down air traffic a couple of years ago. It is on the south coast of Iceland.
Will check out the Movescount app as well.
Cheers,
Dave
LikeLike
Very cool Dave, I have been to Iceland in the summer for hiking and loved it. I definitely need to get back in the winter for skiing after seeing your pictures and reading about the trip. I think it is probably worth paying a little more for Air Iceland as opposed to WOW. When I went to Norway for skiing a year ago and researched it , a lot of people seemed to have customer service issues with WOW. As it turned out we missed our Reykjavik to Oslo connection because of a late takeoff from Boston due to snow. Air Iceland was very prompt about getting us another flight out of Reykyavik on a different airline so we got to Oslo the same day. (BTW I would definitely recommend Norway for a future trip to further explore the “far northeast”)
From your pictures I suspect your final day of skiing was on Esja, the peak across the bay from Reykyavik . I have hiked it in the summer. Looked like an amazing way to finish your trip
LikeLike
I think you are right Bernie! Short clip of it showing the patch of snow from the road here: https://instagram.com/p/BSzZCPMBeYo/
LikeLike
[…] lists for trips sometimes weighing everything down to the ounce. I shared my first gear list for ski touring in Iceland this past April and most recently in a trip report for climbing Mount Shuksan in the Cascades. […]
LikeLike
[…] been grateful every time it came back to me unharmed). The last two years it has come with me to ski in Iceland. It is the only real piece of “luggage” that I own, and I couldn’t be happier […]
LikeLike
[…] two full seasons on this setup and am excited to start my third season on them this winter! Both Iceland trips were amazing […]
LikeLike
[…] two full seasons on this setup and am excited to start my third season on them this winter! Both Iceland trips were amazing […]
LikeLike
[…] ski tours. Last week I returned from my second ski trip there. I’ve updated my original travel guide to backcountry skiing in Iceland with more resources on planning a trip here, and in this post I’ll share some details of some […]
LikeLike
[…] lists for trips sometimes weighing everything down to the ounce. I shared my first gear list for ski touring in Iceland this past April and most recently in a trip report for climbing Mount Shuksan in the Cascades. […]
LikeLike