Iceland Discovery Ski Tour
Overview
Explore new frontiers in Iceland with a week-long small group discovery tour to the spectacular Troll Peninsula. Experience Iceland’s most iconic descents via heli-assisted touring in one of the most inspiring settings on earth.
Over seven nights after arriving in Reykjavik, you’ll hop aboard a short flight to Iceland’s northernmost city, Akureyri. Surrounded by fjords and mountain peaks, you’ll spend five nights with your group in nearby Siglufjörður, your far-north home base for four (4) fully-guided touring days in the surrounding mountains, three (3) of which are helicopter-assisted. At night you will the fabulous cuisine and perhaps even experience one of earth's most the incredible phenomenons, the Northern Lights (Auriora Borealis).
At the conclusion on-mountain portion, your last two nights are spent in Iceland’s uniquely cosmopolitan capital city of Reykjavik. This also gives the group an opportunity to explore Iceland’s world-renowned hot springs, perhaps view a live volcano, or if you’re a surfer, maybe even join in for a single-day surfing adventure (wetsuit included!).
Terrain
Iceland’s Troll Peninsula juts from the central northern coast & is replete with deep fjords & incredible mountains seemingly rising straight out of the sea. The highest peak of Mount Kerling (Kerlingarfjöll) rises to nearly 1,438m (5,000 ft) elevation. Peaks on the peninsula are more generally in the 900 to 1,200m range, with descents of up to 1,000m vertical possible all the way to the sea in the best conditions. Terrain options vary greatly; from intermediate bowls to expert chutes with a variety of routes to accommodate groups with different ability levels and goals.
Heli-Assisted Touring
Heli-Assisted Touring is using a helicopter to efficiently get you to a skiing zone at the beginning of the day, where you will then use touring skis or splitboard to access a number of runs (depending on group ability, stamina, terrain etc.) before being picked up by the helicopter in the afternoon and returned to the hotel. In some cases, the helicopter may drop you above a zone and allow you to ride to a pickup point with your guide to end the day. In addition, there *may* be an opportunity to ‘add’ additional heli-drops to the end of the day. If available, these are generally 600 EUR per lap per group (or as low as 150 EUR per client in a full helicopter). Extra laps are not guaranteed and the price is subject to change.
Itinerary
The tour runs over 8 days from Saturday to Saturday. The tour starts at Akureyri airport in northern Iceland, with a pick up and transfer to Siglufjörður. After 5 nights and 4 days of guided backcountry & heli-assisted ski-touring, transfer back to Akureyri for your flight to Reykjavik. Spend the final 2 nights in Reykjavik exploring the region.
See the detailed program on the Itinerary tab.
For information on the best way to get to Akureyri (AEY) airport, see our Travel to Iceland page.
Lodging & Food
The tour spends the first 5 nights at the in Siglufjörður - the northernmost town in Iceland situated spectacularly at the tip of a fjord, surrounded by towering mountains. Linked to the rest of the Troll Peninsula by a scenic coast road, Siglufjörður & the combination of scenic beauty, snow accessibility, history & hospitality are hard to beat.
See detailed information on the Lodging tab.
Snow & Weather
The area averages over 7m (or 250″) of snow annually. Temperatures can vary in March and April and whilst many days will offer powder, there may be days of sunny corn skiing to go with the dramatic views. If you’re looking for a ‘powder only’ trip, it is not a guarantee here (no trip ever is!), but it’s incredibly fun backcountry skiing/riding in a truly spectacular setting. Come with an open mind towards the snow and the weather… and prepare to have an incredible experience.
Weather Days / Helicopter Uptime
Historically, helicopter 'uptime' in the region is around ~80% for heli operations during late March and early April. However, snowfall and wind can be unpredictable and is the reason the tour includes one “non-heli” day in the itinerary (to absorb the impact of a potential weather day). There can be no guarantee as to the number of helicopter flying hours. In the event of continued no-fly weather, the tour operator will make all reasonable efforts to provide a non-helicopter guiding experience.
Guides & Group Size
In addition to 2-3 tour operator staff members hosting the tour, there will be a number of experienced, local guiding professionals to help ensure the safety of the groups.
The tour is limited to a maximum of 12 participants.
Ski / Touring Ability & Fitness
Ski & snowboard ability level for the trip is ‘Advanced&rsquo or better. You should have be able to safely ski/ride in all types of snow conditions in varied terrain with relative ease.
Touring experience on ski or splitboard can be at or above novice level. What’s Novice Touring Experience? If you’ve been on touring skis or a splitboard less than five times, regardless of your skiing/riding ability, feel free to make contact so your ability and goals for the trip can be assessed. Each tour will be able to accommodate different ski-touring ability levels.
Note that you must bring touring skis or a split board (with climbing skins) for this trip.
Iceland’s COVID19 “Opening Status” & Requirements
Iceland is currently open to visitors from most nations. However, in order to avoid quarantine requirements, a COVID19 vaccination certificate or documented antibodies from COVID19 recovery is required, along with a negative COVID19 test prior to travel are required. Likewise, if you require a negative test result prior to your return to your home country the tour operator will help you facilitate testing in Iceland prior to your flight. Masks are widely required.
