Ski touring the Haute Route of the Troll
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The Troll Peninsula, in northern Iceland, has endless possibilities for ski touring. Take a week to explore the terrain with Jökull, IFMGA certified guide.
7 Days
Mar, Apr
High
Intermediate
Description
Join me for an amazing week of ski touring in the Troll Peninsula! This is your chance to follow the Haute Route.
Our base will be a comfy country lodge run by a family, in the heart of the best ski terrains of the Troll Peninsula.
The site of the lodge has been continually inhabited by Icelandic sheep farmers since the colonization of the country in the late eighth century. Indeed, the current owners can trace their lineage back to the time of the first viking settlers.
The terrain has many options of slopes and mountains for every level. Whether you like steep couloirs or you seek for vast open slopes, you'll find it here. There is so much to explore, it could take us a lifetime to see it all!
And in the end of the day, our tired feet will find comfort in the geothermal baths. In addition, it will be an opportunity to meet the locals, who are regular visitors of the baths.
You will have the chance to ski a peak at midnight, under the light of the Midnight sun. A unique experience is to watch your altimeter at 0 while skiing and reaching a black sand volcanic beach. And in addition, the cuisine is exquisite: the fish and lamb, local and organic, are a wonderful base for our meals.
What do you say? Do you want to try this unique trip? Then please contact me, I would love guiding you in the Haute Route of the Trolls! You can also enjoy a unique heliskiing adventure in the Troll Peninsula.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
I will pick you up in Akureyri, northern Ireland’s capital, late in the afternoon. Then a 45 min transfer to Karlsá Lodge where we have a meet and greet. We have a welcome dinner, then go through the agenda for the week.
Day 2: Avalanche training and ski touring
Today is the first ski day. We transfer directly to the north of the Troll Peninsula to the lovely fishing village of Siglufjörður. We spend the morning on an avalanche transceiver and avalanche rescue training, then we start our traverse towards Hedinsfjord. Eventually we go over towards another small town called Olafsfjordur where our transport awaits us. We finish off the day in the geothermal pools in Dalvik before heading home for a big feast and well deserved rest.
Day 3: Svarfaðardalur or Dalvik
The 30 min drive to Olafsfjordur in the morning is as scenic as they get with spectacular ocean views. Our goal today is to traverse over to Svarfaðardalur valley or the town of Dalvik depending on conditions. The scenery on this day is incredible as we ski right towards the wide open Arctic ocean.
Day 4: Technical ski touring
This day is without doubt the most technical one with over 1500 m of climbing and some steep slopes to negotiate. But it is also one of the most spectacular as we tour over the highest peaks of the Troll Peninsula.
Day 5: Dyjafjallshnjukur
We put our skis on outside our family run lodge Klæengsholl and start our longest single climb of the traverse up towards the peak of Dyjafjallshnjukur. From there we descend south towards the broad valley of Hörgárdalur where dozens of pretty farms dot the landscape. After a soak in the local geothermal baths we transfer back to our base.
Day 6: Vindheimajökull Glacier
Our last day of the Haute Route takes us to the town of Akureyri after traversing the great expanse of Vindheimajökull Glacier (or Home of the Winds glacier as it would translate to in Icelandic).
Day 7: Extra day
In the early season on the Troll Peninsula, bad weather can happen and therefore I have allotted a spare day for weather to maximize our chances of finishing the traverse.
If the weather cooperates for the duration of the tour, we will be rewarded by an extra day of great ski mountaineering in the vicinity of the Lodge.
Details
More info
Ski boots in the plane: please have your ski boots in carry on baggage during your flights to Iceland. If your skis get temporarily lost I can provide rental gear. I can offer some equipment for rent, please contact me for information and availability.
Equipment: wind and waterproof shell jacket, wind and waterproof pants, base layer, ski pants, jacket, light down or fiber jacket, hat, gloves, ski socks, backpack 30-45L (With ski attachments), thermos or water bottle (1-2L), sunglasses, ski goggles, sun and lip cream, ski touring skis, telemark or split board, skins and ski crampons (not optional!), ski poles, avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel, bathing suit, small first aid kit, camera.
Meeting point
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