Land of ice and land that is cleverly called Iceland

It was nice to spend some time at home, but kind of cool at the same time to start planning our next trip, to Iceland. I have always dreamed of going to Iceland, and now it was finally happening for me. The plan was to drive around the island with SUV, giving us the possibility to drive off from the road and closer to the skiable runs we spot from the road. 

Blumi’s stories about Iceland’s diversity and the scenery had already given me many ideas to what to do on our trip. One was fishing, other taking probably the most amasing photos that I will ever take and of course the most important one was to ski the best lines to be found from there.

We had nice straight afternoon flights from Helsinki to Reykjavik and this was something that we really didn’t have that often during our longer trip at winter. We landed to Reykjavik nicely a little bit after 4 p.m. and we still had a lot of time to spend that day. First was of course to get us a car and drive the hell out from Reykjavik. Just kidding, of course we went to check the center first and to drive towards our first destination on our trip. They have this really weird church that anyone visiting Reykjavik really should pay a visit. I wonder what in the name of your god the architect has been thinking when he or she was drawing that building.

Our first destination was actually a run that I spotted from the airplane magazine and we figured that it is in the western part of Iceland near town called Hellissandur. The run looked really good in the picture with lots of drops and all, so our x-trails nose was heading that way for sure. 

We got to Hellissandur quite late due to a really good reason. Iceland is so filled with stuff that you need to get on film, so it really took us several hours to drive the few hundreds of kilometers. You literally need to stop to take some pictures every ten minutes. It was a good thing that we found a hotel straight away by asking some locals that if there is anything open.

In the morning it was time to go and take a closer look of the run and it didn’t look that good anymore. The photo in the magazine was probably taken around mid-winter and the run was filled with snow during that time and now it wasn’t. Change of plans and we were on our way driving up north where there was suppose to be more snow.

Again after maybe a million photos and few hundred kilometers more we arrived into a small fishing-town of Olafsfjordor. Our friend Paul Siljama had given us phone number to the owner of a hotel in Olafsfjordor and suggested the place to be super good. 

After a few tries we got in touch with the guy and he welcomes us to his hotel. The hotel wasn’t not really open yet, but he anyway let us to stay there without reception-services for really decent price. The town is surrounded with really nice looking mountains so we decide to stay there for the next following four days.

As I told the mountains looked really great and on our way to Olafsfjordor we already spotted a couple of spots to film and an open ski resort to go have some fun. The first day in the area turns out to be a rainy one with possibility of some sunny spots, so we decide to go and check out the ski resort in nearby town called Siglufjordor.

When we got to the ski resort I was raining pretty hard, but it was snowing on the top parts so we went to do some slope powder riding. In the middle of having fun in the slopes we spotted couple of mellow back country runs coming down from the mountain next to the ski center. The runs would be easily accessed from the top lift, but it is closed due to high winds. We decide to ask the owner if they could give us a lift with the sleds if the weather opens up a little bit. We waited for couple of hours in the café and the skies finally opened.

Fast we hop on the lift, head up to the place that where from we had planned to film the runs, leave all our excess stuff there and head up to the guys already waiting us with the sleds. We doubled with the guys to the top station of the top lift and walked from there. As soon as we start walking the weather starts to close in again. Really high winds rip the shit of our faces with flying snow and ice and we couldn’t do anything, but wait. After maybe 45 minutes we decide to give it a go on the next glimpse of light and ski down the face. The sun comes out and I drop in. The sunny spot only lasts for 15 seconds and I end up skiing the whole face in totally flat light. When I get to Ape, I start laughing and explaining him that you really couldn’t see anything out there and he laughs back at me. Blumi skies down next with same results, no visibility, no speed, no footage. Anyway we were happy that we skied something that day and headed home to plan the next day.

The next day looked a lot better and we decide to go and hike this one 900m peak we saw from the car two days back. Everything looked really great and the only and at the same time funny concern is the height of the mountain. When we looked at it from the car it only looks like maybe 400m high and the map says that it is 900m, weird we thought. 

When we got to the snowy patches, we really started to see the true size of the mountain. It really might be the 900m that the map said, I thought and laughed.

With two breaks and quite nice pace it took us around two hours to hike to the top. 

On the top part it couple times felt a little bit sketchy to walk on the ice without any crampons, but we managed.

After couple of photos and a short break we were ready to ski down the run. I went first and skied down maybe 250 meters of vertical and stopped on a safe spot to film the guy’s runs. Snow was pretty ok spring snow and we totally had some fun.

When we got a little bit lower on the face it was again my turn to ski. I started to ski, and after my second turn I see the snowpack braking under me. Shit, I thought and skied to the side. Luckily the avalanche only triggered from the top layer, so it really wasn’t anything bad. Overall the pack was really firmly on the face, so we decided to continue filming. Everything went well and back at the car smiles were on everyone’s faces. We headed back to the Olafsfjordur to once again plan the next day and do some fishing from the city pier or maybe you should say washing the lures as we didn’t even see any fish

The next day it was time to go and do some freegolf and after that go and ski a gully that we had spotted next to our first freegolf-hole. Golfing in misty rain in zero temperatures is really something that everyone should go and try. We had freezing fingers, lost balls and good times, haha.

The gully looked rocky, but at the same time nice. Guys named it “A rocky road to Greenland” as it points towards Greenland. The hike was really easy, the gully is only a mere 500 meters of vertical and in no time we were on top of it. The view was amazing and after some hopeless whale spotting we were set to ski down. First we checked the snow for the last time and Ape went first. 

The snow was really hard to ski as the moist had made it really heavy. It was kind of scary to ski in a big gully with sketchy snow, but luckily everything went nice and dandy. After a few cool shots and maybe a 151 876 rocks we were back at the car and laughing to ourselves, once again.

I wanted to go fishing in the evening and we found a nice rocky shore that we went to check out. Once again no fish, but we found a new friend. A seal came to say us hello when we were casting. It followed us for some time before vanishing into the big blue.

Next day it was time to change place and we turned our SUV towards the town of Myvatn. The plan was to go check out legendary Dimmu Borgir and hopefully find some skiing too. Too bad that there really wasn’t any snow, but “dimmu” was amazing and the lake of Myvatn is really worth the driving. It is full of small calderas and islands and the whole landscape is just mind blowing.

This was also the place for our next freegolf-hole. We played inside an old volcano. After some really serious golfing, we decided spent the night in Myvatn before once again heading to next location.

Next on our route was Husavik, one of the most known whale watching places in Iceland. Luckily for us the guys from Gentle Giants were kind enough to welcome us on board. Went the boat parted from the pier we were like little kids that almost didn’t know how to stay in place. First we saw some clowns of the sea, Puffins. They are so funny when they are flapping on the sea surface. These guys are just not that good fliers, haha.

Finally we came to the other side of the bay and the spotting could begin. After a maybe half an hour we became ready to give up. We thought that the season for the whales maybe is not really started yet, but then the magical thing happened, a fin someone yelled. A small (11 meters long) whale came to give maybe the sickest feelings ever. I always have wanted to see a whale and now it was happening. After a while another whale joined us.  After an hour and a half of wow’s and ooh’s it was time to head back. The evening went talking about the whales and sipping local “brännvin” in our hotel lobby.

Next morning it was time to head back to Myvatn to film the boiling mud pits and some scenery footage. We drove on top of this big mountain of sulfur to find that that day it was windy as hell. We took some pictures of us leaning into the wind like ski jumpers, haha. 

We also spotted something else from the top of the mountain. Luckily for us the wind made the power plants exhaust vents look super awesome and of course we had to shoot that too.

After a few hours of filming it was time to keep going and to head to the eastern side of Iceland. Here is a reminder, if you are driving in the backcountry of empty country like Iceland, then remember to fill the gas tank. That way you don’t have to drive 130 kilometers driving 60. Thank your god we made it to the next big city and got some gas to our x-trails tank.

A couple of years back Blumi was in Iceland with our friend Jussi and they spotted some cool runs on the eastern part of Iceland. Well, although the mountains were really beautiful and the runs looked nice, it is hard to ski if there is no snow. The rain and warmth had melted all the snow and we ended up driving just through the eastern part and all the way to the south. We figured that the couple of good runs that we filmed up north would have to do and that no it would be time to go and film something else.

For me fishing is a big deal and I insisted that we need to stop to do some river fishing. Ape spotted a nice glacier creek with clean water and we went to give it a try. I casted a couple of times and bang, I was about to have my first fish in Iceland. It was a small river trout with amazing colors as the water was crystal blue. We decided to let the fish live and put it back in the river to swim away and to grow bigger of course. 

Next we moved a little downstream and Ape acted as my spotter. He spotted a fish behind a big rock and after a couple casts it was on my lure and fighting like hell. This time it was a little bigger, but still too small to keep and after landing it I was sad to find out that it was really badly hooked. With no pliers I ended up making a big cut to the fish’s throat and we needed to kill it.

From the river we drove to a small hotel just underneath vatnajökull’s glacier. On the way we stopped to buy some brown bread to company our huge catch. Ape ripped the fish a part and we had some really nice trout sandwiches for a late night snack.

We really wanted to go and ski on the Vatnajökull glacier, but we just couldn’t get any guides and we decided to head to go and see the “Nipple yard” as it was quickly named after I first saw the place. Iceland really is a land of formations. Everything you can imagine is already there.

Next it was again time to do some freegolfing and this time on the beach. The beach was filled with funny sand and was perfect for some golfing. We played for a while before continuing on our path.

After some more driving, stopping, filming, driving, gasping, filming, driving we came to a small city of Selfoss. Selfoss is rounded by a lot of cool stuff, there is huge waterfalls, but probably the most known things are the geysirs, around 35 kilometers from Selfoss you can find this wonders of earth. Trust me, they are worthwhile seeing, if you go to Iceland.

We decided to spent the night there and found probably the most amazing B&B we have ever witnessed. For 150 Euros a night we got ourselves a house with 10 meter swimming pool, riverside-jacuzzi and a Turkish sauna. The evening went bathing and I even went swimming in the river, or maybe it was dipping if you know what I mean. With the water temperature around +2 it is pretty hard to do any swimming, specially if you are a big pansy like me.

The next day we drove up to the mountain in hope of some snow just to find ourselves driving in pouring rain. Blumi still was anxious to do some skiing so we had to find some snow somehow. We drove all the way to the western side of Iceland to find the one more run.

Finally driving the mountain roads pays out and we find a cool looking run next to Borgarnes. We take some pictures and drive to Borgarnes for the night. In the evening I saw a amazing golden light outside and quickly crap the camera and head to the shore to take some amazing sunset footage. There is too sunset next to each other, one is white and the other one red and yellow colored. Iceland still seems to  surprise you with its beauty, I think and head back to the hostel.

Next morning when it is time to head to the run I decide to leave the skis and just act as a camera man. We started hiking at around noon and it takes us maybe an hour to get to the snow and the guys maybe another one to get to the top.

We wait for a sunny spot for almost an hour and finally the guys are set to go. I film the best shots of the trip and the guys are doing the job super good. 

The best part was that now Blumi got his run he was looking for and we were set to start heading back home.

Next day we drove to Reykjavik for the night and to have a couple of beers too. I find myself really tired, so I decide to head back to the hotel before the guys and to have some rest where the guys stayed for a couple more.

In the morning we still decide to and film one more think, the legendary blue lagoon. The place is actually more a man made swimming pool complex, but outside the thing you can find unbelievable looking blue lakes with white rock in them and the rest of the landscape is just dark black lava rock.

We got the stuff done and decide to go to the nearest city to airport called Reykyanesbaer. It is a small fishing town with just a couple of hotels and a store. After finding us a place to stay and some food too I want to go fishing one more time. It is a nice weather and sunset keeps turning more beautiful every second. I land maybe five or six small haddocks and we keep two bigger ones.

Back at the hostel I try to cook them, but I only end up making a big mess, because the frying pan is just super bad, and with no butter it is hopeless. A little disappointed I closed my eyes for the last time in Iceland and fall asleep.

Next morning we head to the airport, return our car with over 2000 kilometers more on the meter and head for a beer to the airport bar. We lift a toast to Iceland and head home. Thank you wonderland for amazing trip I think while the plane accelerates towards Finland and Helsinki.