About the tour
join us on a beautiful backcountry ski tour on top of the glacier covered volcano Eyjafjallajökull. This volcano is based on the south coast of Iceland, so this is perfect for a day trip from Reykjavík. Eyjafjallajökull stretches 1,651meters above sea level and is one of the most beautiful glaciers in Iceland. This is a great opportunity to explore the high volcano and the beauty of Icelandic nature.
Starting from Seljavallalaug (the old swimming pool) we are going to give you some glacier gear and go over the objective of the day. The hike starts by going up to the small mountain, old trek and some gravel and moss. The beginning of the hike is steep but after every hill there is a small flat place to rest. The best part about this hike is that you don’t need to bring a lot of water with you due to small water streams on the way. This might not be available in the winter so take water with you.
When we are at the base of the glacier, we eat some lunch and gear up for the ice. Our guides are going to teach you how to put-on harnesses, crampons and how to use them. We also need to rope up, we do this to be safe on the glacier. From the edge of the glacier to the summit is a steep slope, this is a good time to explore the ski run.
After this ice slope we get to a flat glacier, on clear days you can see the caldera on the glacier. The true summit is Hámundur 1651m that takes us 30-50 minutes to climb/hike. This is a nice place for some photos, and to have some food and water before the ski run.
When we get back down you can take a dip into the swimming pool and have a beer.
Eyjafjallajökull (English Island Mountain Glacier, is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, north of Skógar and west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of 1,651 meters (5,390 ft). The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in 2010.
Duration / Walking: 8-10 hour
Level of difficulty: 4/5
Age Min: 13 years
Pax: min 2pax – max 6pax
Time of year: mai – june
Meet on location: Seljavallarlaug: Gps: 63.566401°N, -19.609137°V
Meeting time: 8:00
If you need a pick up from Reykjavík give us a call or send us a email and we help you out.
We provide:
- Glacier gear
- Crampons
- Ice axe
- Ropes
- Carabiners
- Harness
- Local Glacier guide
You Bring:
- Warm cloths:
- Rain gear pants and jacket
- Down or primaloft jacket (can be nice on lunch brake)
- Good hiking shoes
- Hat and gloves
- 30-40L backpack
- Food and water for the day
- Sunglasses
- Hiking poles
- Skis
- ski crampons
- skins for skis
You can rent some of this gear from us if you don’t have it.
About the weather in Iceland
Weather in Iceland can change fast so if the weather is not good for this hike day we may have to cancel this trip or we can move the hike to the next day if that is better.
