Day 1: Arrival at Keflavik airport where we will be picked up by our icelandic skier friends, Atli and Arnar. We drive through the lava fields surrounding the capital Reykjavik and stop on the way at the blue lagoon to soak in the steaming water and wonder about the adventure we are about to start.Day 2: Last arrangements and gear check before we hit road number 1, the ring road that in summer will take you around the island. In winter, you never know... We head east along the coast, at the end of the day we are in Skaftafell national park home to the biggest glacier in Europe, the Vatnajökull.
Day 3: Sitting high above Skaftafell is Icelands highest point Hvannadalshnjúkur among other spectacular peaks. Atli and Arnar know these mountains like the back of their hand and we will explore unskied lines on the mountains south side.
Day 4: Even though Skaftafell is an amazing place we are heading further east today, rumor has it that the deep fjords on the east coast are hiding some world class ski terrain.
Day 5: Seyðisfjörður is where the ferry from Europe stops in the summer, in the winter this little village is very quiet. We meet some local fishermen who are going sail us into Loðmundarfjörður, a very deep inlet which was deserted generations ago. Sailing along the coast in the winter is a dangerous enterprise but these sailors have seen rough seas beforeand we are in the best hands.
Day 6: We find ourselves in the very comfortable hut in Loðmundarfjörður this morning. The hut is built for sheep herders who seek shelter here when gathering their sheep at the end of summer. In the winter there is no way to get here unless by boat. That means no one has skied these steep mountains before.
Day 7-8: Ski touring around Loðmundarfjörður. We will go up both sides of the fjord and ski all the way down to the coast. After the days skiing we sit by the fire in the hut and listen to our local friends tell stories about trolls and elves that are supposed to live here.
Day 9: Today we get picked up by our brave fishermen and they take us back to civilization in Seyðisfjörður. There we hop into our Land rovers and continue our adventure.Next stop in Akureyri, the capital of the north.
Day 10: Akureyri is one of Icelands most charming towns. It sits at the bottom of Eyjafjörður and is surrounded by steep mountains. The most popular to ski is Kaldbakur, but we are interested in what lies behind it. Akureyri is an important fishing port so we make sure to get some fresh seafood for the barbeque before we leave.
Day 11: Going from the sheep herders hut in Flateyjardalur we skin up to the peaks on the very north coast of Iceland and ski very steep colouirs back down to the hut. The next day will be a long one so we have a good dinner and relax in the serenity of Flateyjardalur.
Day 12: Today we skin up the slopes on the east side of Kaldbakur. From the top there is a great view of Eyjafjörður and Akureyri. The normal descent from Kaldbakur is nice but we will try to ski the steep west face directly down to the road, ready to hit the road back to Reykjavik.
Day 13: After our busy road trip around Iceland we are back in Reykjavík. We will be spending the day soaking in the thermal pools, visiting sponsors and eating icelandic delicacies like rotten shark and sheep testicles. In the evening we meet skiers from the Icelandic alpine club, tell stories and party like only vikings know how.
Day 14: Travel home
