A week long adventure chasing ice climbs in Iceland
I began ice climbing at the beginning of this winter and was instantly hooked. I really enjoy the highly technical, highly mental aspect of the sport. Not only have I began to learn the art of ‘sticking’ tools, I have also learned many aspects of winter hiking, as well as being prepared to spend plenty of time outdoors in the winter.
One November day, I was linked to a great deal for flights to Iceland on WOW Air. I messaged Derek, my climbing partner, and later that day we booked a week long trip to Iceland, with the intention of spending almost all the time there ice climbing.
On February 2nd, with all of our gear packed, we headed to Iceland.
Day 1: Skaftafell Glacier — February 3rd, 2017
We arrived early in the morning, picked up our car, did some groceries at a supermarket close by, and by 7:00am, we were on the Ring Road heading east looking for the first waterfalls to climb.
We realized early on that it was warm (for February) and rainy. Not good signs for waterfall ice. Once the sun was up, we started checking out areas to climb on the side of the road. Nada. It had been raining for a few days: a rarity for Iceland in February. We made the decision to head to Vatnajökull and climb ice on its glacier tongues.
At around 12:30pm, we arrived at the visitor centre of Vatnajökull National Park. We geared up and headed down to the Skaftafell Glacier, one of the many tongues of the large Vatnajökull.
We found an easy approach on the west side of the glacier and in no time, we were searching for crevasses to climb. We found a couple of 12 meter deep crevasses which we could walk down to then climb up its steeper areas.
Iceland is fairly close to the arctic circle, therefore the sun sets fairly early in winter. After three hours of climbing and exploring, we decided to head back to the car at around 3:30pm, giving us enough light to reach the car safely.
We continued east on the Ring Road towards our hostel, located a few kilometers before the town of Höfn. At around sunset, we stopped at Jökulsarlon, a very large glacial lagoon filled with icebergs. Despite the rough weather, we enjoyed checking out this beautiful place.
Day 2: Vatnajökull National Park — February 4th, 2017
Our contact at the Icelandic Alpine Association informed us that there might be waterfall ice in a canyon they call Stigardilur, right below the Stigar Glacier, yet another of the tongues of the Vatnajökull. The ice was at around 500 meters above sea level, so there was a possibility that snow instead of rain had affected the area. Excited, we geared up and started out drive before dawn.
We found parking at a gravel dump and headed up along the canyon. Like many areas in Iceland, Stigardilur was very desolate and beautiful. Basalt columns adorned the walls of the cliffs. A mighty river carved down the canyon. Snowy peaks surrounded us on the west, north, and east. Behind us, on the south, the sun rose.
The off road track ended and we continued our scramble up, careful to not start any rockfall. The only sound you could hear was that of the mighty glacial river below us.
After a little over an hour hike, we got very close to the ice wall and realized that the ice was rotten and thin. We were disappointed: it was simply too dangerous to climb.
We scrambled down quickly and headed to Vatnajökull National Park to try to climb the Svinafell glacier. We parked by a viewing spot and started our traverse of the west moraine of the glacier. We got to a point that it was too dangerous to continue. We quickly turned back to safety.
By the time we got back to the car, it was too late to start another approach into one of the glaciers. We drove close by to check out the stunning Svartifoss waterfall.
We drove back to the hostel, disappointed that we didn’t climb that day. Part of being an ice climber is understanding the conditions. The safety of the climb primarily depends on the conditions of the ice. On thin ice, protection is impossible to place. On February 4, we preferred safety over thrill.
That night at the hostel, I spoke with a Spanish mate who gave me some good approach tips to Svinafell glacier. We had gone the wrong way earlier: the glacier is approached from the terminus, not the moraine. Armed with this new information, we were ready for the next day.
Day 3: Svinafell Glacier — February 5th, 2017
Svinafell glacier is the sister glacier of Skaftafell, to the point that 70 years ago they were joined together. This glacier was also used as the backdrop for Mann’s planet in the movie Interstellar. By dawn, we were approaching the glacier using the information our Spanish friend gave us. In no time, we were searching for steep, deep crevasses to climb.
Soon, we found one that was so deep we had no idea how far down we could go. I lowered Derek down until his crampons touched water: a cool 32 meters. Derek climb the beautiful, blue, transparent ice with little trouble. It was my turn to go.
Once my crampons touched water, I yelled to Derek to stop me, took my phone out to take some photos, then sat there hanging preparing mentally for the challenge ahead. I realized that moment was the quietest moment of my life. No wind, no movement, nothing. In that silence, it also dawned on me that this incredible, otherworldly spot will not be there in a few years due to global climate change.
No question, that was by far the coolest climb of any type I’ve ever done. The ice was perfect, steep and very challenging.
We spent six and a half hours climbing crevasses 20 to 35 meters deep. It was a fantastic day of ice climbing. By 3:30pm, we were on our way west towards Fjaðrárgljúfur. By sunset, we arrived at this breathtaking canyon.
We then headed to Skogar and arrived by nightfall. After settling in, we headed on the short walk to Skogafoss, one of Iceland’s most famous waterfalls. Using the moonlight and some exposure, I managed to capture the waterfall in all its glory.
The sky was partially clear, so I stayed up hoping to see the Aurora Borealis. Exhaustion eventually caught up to me and in no time, I was sound asleep.
Day 4: Solheima Glacier — February 6th, 2017
Our Spanish friend from the previous hostel also informed us that the Solheima Glacier had an easy approach. Before dawn, we were hiking up towards the glacier.
Solheima Glacier lies just east of Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano famous for its 2010 eruption which disrupted air travel in Europe for weeks. Due to its proximity, Solheima Glacier has to this day extensive deposits of volcanic ash. This created a very beautiful contrast with the white and blue hues of the glacier.
As we would learn later that day, a major storm coming from the South was about to hit us. In no time, rain and gale force winds made walking on the glacier quite difficult.
Despite the strong winds, we managed to do some interesting climbs, including our first overhang ice climb. Despite only being around 7 meters high, the overhang aspect made it incredibly difficult.
Eventually, we got tired of the rain and the wind and decided to finally take a rest of climbing and hiking. We headed to the Secret Lagoon, a nice, cozy thermal pool an hour and a half away from Reykjavik. After three days of climbing and one day of hiking, it was a well needed rest.
We spent nearly two hours just relaxing on the water. We then drove to Reykjavik, settled into our hotel, had dinner, and with some hostel mates headed out for a night of drinks and jazz.
Day 5: Brynjudalur & Reykjavik — February 7th, 2017
We woke up leisurely and decided to spend our last day looking for waterfall ice north of Reykjavik. The storm continued to rage while we drove along the coast towards Brynjudalur, a canyon about an hour north of Reykjavik. Upon arriving, we found a decent looking piece of ice from afar. We calculated that it would take about an hour to get to its base, so we geared up and headed up a small canyon towards the wall. We failed to incorporate in our calculations how incredibly difficult it was to hike up in 100 km/h winds in full gear.
After 45 minutes, we were about half way when we decided to abort our attempt. We could see that the ice was not that good and the approach, especially in hurricane conditions, was highly dangerous. On our way down, the storm intensified. It was difficult to walk with our eyes open due to the force of the raindrops hitting our faces.
We drove very carefully back to Reykjavik. After lunch, my new friend Erin and I decided to check out some of the local sights of the city. We started by heading to Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland’s largest church and one of its tallest buildings.
We then headed to see The Sun Voyager, a sculpture of a dreamboat on the shores of the city.
We continued our walk towards the Harpa, a beautiful performance arts centre on the shores of Reykjavik’s old harbour. At the Harpa, we started discussing food, and we decided to take the courageous step of trying Hakarl, the national dish of Iceland. We asked around and we were pointed to The Sea Baron, a traditional seafood restaurant on the old harbour.
We then headed to Lebowski Bar, a great bar in downtown Reykjavik created as an ode to The Big Lebowski. I highly recommend checking it out if you ever visit Reykjavik. After a few drinks, Derek joined us and we headed to Tapas, a fusion restaurant that combined Spanish tapas with Icelandic cuisine. I had for dinner Icelandic Foal, which was surprisingly very tender. I finished the night having some drinks with some new friends.
The next morning we packed, checked out, and along with our new friends Ania and Erin, headed to The Sea Baron to have its world famous lobster soup for brunch. It was one of the best, if not the best soup I’ve ever hard. I also tried minke whale as a side, and it tasted very much like a very good skirt steak.
We said our goodbyes and headed home.
Despite the weather conditions, we managed to have an incredible adventure in this beautiful country. We climbed incredibly good glacier ice, hiked along fantasy-book-inspiring canyons and waterfalls, ate some unique dishes, and had a great time with some new friends. Even though Iceland was never high up on my list of places to visit, I am very glad I decided to check it out.
