Bláfjöll Ski Resort Iceland
The most popular ski resort in Iceland, Bláfjöll is close to the capital Reykjavik (hence its popularity!). A small but super-fun ski area, it provides a leg-warming ski across 15km of trails on mellow terrain and also provides some fun, lift-served backcountry access when the snow is deep and not wind-blasted.
Only a few minutes’ drive from the centre of Reykjavik, Blafjoll is a great place to come and get to know the locals. And as an added bonus, in 2021 a new volcano sprouted nearby spewing a spectacular lava show. Named Mount Fagradalsfjall, it is 20km southwest of the ski area as the ptarmigan flies, or about 58km (1hr) by rental car.
Pros & Cons for Blafjoll Ski Resort
Pros
- Great place to stretch the legs and get a few laps on snow.
- On the rare powder days (afternoons!), fresh tracks available everywhere with extraordinarily little competition off the piste.
- No lift lines.
- Several quality on-piste trails for beginner & intermediate skiers & snowboarders, plus a terrain park.
- Fun off-piste freeride terrain, including a few steeper pitches for advanced/expert riders.
- Ample, free, ski-out/ski-in parking right at the lifts.
- Day lodge has facilities (microwave ovens etc) for picnickers (brown-baggers), there are lots of public toilets & a well-stocked ski & snowboard rental shop.
- Friendly, easy-going ski area.
Cons
- Short skiable vertical.
- Relatively small amount of piste trails & off-piste terrain.
- Snow often wind impacted.
- No overnight accommodation.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Only a short drive from Reykjavik.
- Opening hours are different to most ski area - late afternoons etc.
- Only basic snacks available at the café, no real yum, interesting local food which is a shame.
- Night skiing is big here but bloody cold! Skiing in the evening twilight is fantastic before the lights come on.
- Can allegedly get a little busy some days on weekends, but it is fun meeting the locals!
- Comparatively expensive lift pass, but we won’t begrudge them the cash AND it is all relative to the wonderful weirdness of the whole experience.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Whilst it will never match it with most of the world's ski resorts, Blafjoll does still provide some entertaining skiing & snowboarding, particularly if the snow conditions are fresh. The first thing to understand about skiing & snowboarding Blafjoll is that during the week, the lifts only run from early in the afternoon & into the night (2pm to 9pm for the main area, and 5pm to 8pm in the south area). On weekends it is a more civilised 10am to 5pm. Another thing is that the late afternoon light, as the sun hangs low on the horizon, is absolutely gorgeous in Iceland. And as the afternoon progresses, skiing in the evening arctic glow for the first time is a wonderful experience in and of itself.
We found the skiing to be fabulous on shallow off-piste powder & perfect groomers. However, talking to locals, they felt this was an aberration rather than the rule as the wind usually has a say in the snow-quality. As we found throughout Iceland, wind is certainly a factor in everything one doe during winter.
With only 15km of trails & a lofty(!) summit at 700m altitude and skiable vertical of just 240m (yes that’s 240), Blafjoll is never going to host the Winter Olympics. That said, it has some fun terrain. We enjoyed the steeper off-piste sections & noted broad swathes of untracked sidecountry terrain either side of, and behind, the resort area. In fact, we may have journeyed out and tracked some of it ourselves! A great lark indeed and we were able to ski back into the lift base without too much effort.
Check out the ski trail map for Bláfjöll below.
As far as ski lifts go, there may be a total of 15 chairlifts, surface tows and conveyers, but unless one is a beginner, the entire ski area can be explored using just 3 lifts, with the main central chairlift the most important of the trio. We are not even sure if several of the more duplicitous lifts would ever even run...... Maybe if it was busy?
Where is Bláfjöll Iceland?
Bláfjöll is in south-west Iceland, propped out in the North Atlantic midway between Norway & Greenland. The ski-out ski-in car park at Blafjoll is located adjacent to the ski lifts in the volcanic hills 33km (30min) by road south-east of the central Reykjavik. Unless already in Iceland, the closest airport is Keflavik (KEF), 72km away by road. Flights from London to Keflavik take around 3¼hr.
The best way to get around the country & to the ski area is with a rental car direct from the airport. Pre-book an all-wheel drive vehicle with studded tyres; you'll understand why once you get there!
For more information on getting to & around the region, plus driving tips, see our Travel to Iceland page.
Blafjoll Accommodation
There is no accommodation at the ski area. We recommend staying in or near Reykjavik if skiing Blafjoll. It is a fun city with several great hotels, bars & restaurants down on the waterfront. The Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina is a wonderful, quirky hotel with a bespoke style perfect for its location. On the outskirts of the city in a quiet lakeside position, the Hotel Kriunes has wonderful accommodation & food, plus is only a few minutes’ drive from Blafjoll.
Search & book here for all Reykjavik accommodation.
Review
The Powderhounds reviewed Bláfjöll in March 2020. What we found was some fresh powder in a resort not known for it, an enthusiastic & friendly local crowd plus gorgeous late afternoon arctic light. Resort skiing is not a reason to visit Iceland, but we recommend skiing at Blafjoll for no other reason than to stretch the legs, get some exercise, feel the cold air in your lungs, chat to the locals & enjoy the evening light....... Who knows, you might even score some cheeky powder like we did! Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.
See how Blafjoll compares to the rest of the European ski resorts on the Europe ski resort ratings page.
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