Info on Hestskarðshnjúkur
Hestskarðshnjúkur is a 855 meter peak located in Northern Iceland just outside the town of Siglufjörður. The village shares its name with the fjord that the east slopes rise from out of the sea. Back in 2010 the Héðinsfjörður Tunnels were built through the slopes on the southern base of the mountains connecting it with Ólafsfjörður . This area has become popular with ski touring over the years with the ease of access and numerous different peaks enclosing the valley.
Arriving in Siglufjörður
Walking through the town of Siglufjörður it was nearing the end of our week long trip in Iceland. Jason and I had a flight to catch in the morning and Ben and Gabe would be sticking around for a few more days. Walking through the streets it was hard not to notice Hestskarðshnjúkur. The southeast face looked like a pyramid of snow made even better by the road right at its base.
Climbing up Hestskarðshnjúkur for the Sunset
The plan was to head up to the summit and wait for the sunset in hopes of the slope basking in alpenglow. Leaving the car on the road below we took out our gear and started skinning up the slopes. The area around us had the perfect balance of couloirs and open bowls.
Oncethe slopes steepened it was time to put the boards on our back and get to climbing. While we were dealing with some afternoon clouds it seemed like the weather was clearing out with occasional sun spots hitting us.
Arriving on the summit we still had a bit of time before the sunset. From our vantage point we could look south at numerous different mountains but to the north was open sea. The weather had worked in our favour as this area is notorious for high winds but we were ski touring in t shirts.
Waiting for Alpenglow
Waiting around for the sun to come out Ben and Gabe messed around jumping off a small cornice while Jason was taking shots of them. Being that they were both Goofy footed it would work well with photos of them snowboarding with the sea in the distance.
Like a switch going off finally the sun came out and we waited for the light to hit its peak. We would be able to ride all the way back to the car but we needed to be patient if we wanted the alpenglow in all its glory.
With a little bit more time to spare Jason snapped a few more shots of them playing around grabbing the shot he wanted the whole trip.
Our Last Run in Iceland Off Hestskarðshnjúkur
The peak started glowing a dark red before we decided it was time to ride down. This would be our last run together and we were excited to ride the open slopes below. While our time in Iceland was brief I was happy that we checked out the northern area as it had such a different feel then the Westfjords. We were about the end the trip on a highland riding down the Southwest bowl of Hestskarðshnjúkur.
Dropping in the snow was steep but made for perfect carving. With the conditions being stable we rode together all the way to our car below. We had timed it just right as by the time we were at the parking lot the sun was gone and dusk was setting in.
Arriving at the car we drove Ben and Gabe back to where they were staying before frantically shoving our gear in the car. We still had to drive 5 hours back to Reykjavik to drop off the car and make our 6 a.m. flight. Driving thought the night we chatted about our experience in Iceland and how it would be great to come back some day. But for now we were about to head over to the Lofoten Islands of Norway to spend a month Kayaking and ski touring.
