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Ice and Spikes: Climbing the Sólheimajökull Glacier in Iceland

Ice Climbing on the Solheimajokull Glacier, Iceland

September 19, 2011

Last Updated on September 18, 2018

Table of Contents

  • Ice climbing on the Solheimajjokull Glacier is definitely one of the hardest yet exhilarating things we did in Iceland. If you love adventure as much as we do, you definitely need to try it!
  • My Virgin Ice-Climbing Experience
  • No Man’s Land
  • Glacial Explorations

Ice climbing on the Solheimajjokull Glacier is definitely one of the hardest yet exhilarating things we did in Iceland. If you love adventure as much as we do, you definitely need to try it!

Left, right, ice sticks in; left, right, feet up. Forceful arm strides followed by small, heavy steps. It sounded easy enough. But once I got on that vertiginous wall of ice, it was clearly not the case. The chunky ice cliff stood at a humble height of approximately 8 meters, but getting up there was no easy feat.

“Find pockets of ice for support,” Our guide, Røbert Halldorsson, advised. I had no clue what a pocket of ice meant, but I plummeted my ice axes into a patch of greyish ice anyway and pushed my body upwards with all my strength. On the glazed ice, my feet could barely find their bearings and I slipped and fell, away from the ice wall. Thank goodness for the harness – I ended up hanging mid-air, in the safe hands of Røbert.

My Virgin Ice-Climbing Experience

Just this morning, I was on the Sólheimajökull Glacier in Southwestern Iceland, trying my hands at ice-climbing. My first attempt and it was a complete failure; at least I overcame the rush of pounding nerves and got myself mid-way up the wall. I can’t really be blamed for the mediocre performance though (excuses, excuses..), we’d been only been given a quick 5-minute briefing on walking with crampons and ice sticks before hiking up to the glacier and taking the plunge on an ice-cliff. Along with a group of hikers from Netherlands, my husband and I were here to seek out some fun on ice and this was proving to be one hell of an adventure.

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No Man’s Land

Our journey had started with a two-hour drive from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, weaving through green craggy cliffs, rugged tundra terrain and tumbling waterfalls. Leaving civilization behind, we felt like we’d also entered a different planet and time. Having just returned from an amazing trip in the Arctic, I missed its raw wilderness, untouched nature and the lack of human presence; Iceland was my antidote: a no man’s land blessed with striking, awe-inspiring landscapes and a rich, intriguing history, but easy-to-reach corners and creature comforts.

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Glacial Explorations

Back on the glacier, we continued to explore the giant cauldrons, ridges, waterways and deep crevasses scattered along the slopes of the glacier. This Sólheimajökull is one of the many glacier tongues that extend out from the Mýrdalsjókull icecap. Fringed by coats of black volcanic sand, the bluish-white chunks of ice lie above Volcano Katla, which was formed thousands of years ago. The glacier was as grey and bleak as the rainy skies, but the artful assemblage looked all the more haunting.

As we stood on the top of the glacier, we took in a fantastic panorama of the surrounding ice, valley and ocean. “This glacier didn’t used to look the same, it has been retreating over the past few years. In the 1900s, it stretched as far as the ocean, which is a few kilometers away. As recent as the year 2000, the glacier reached where the car park is, a good few hundred meters of where it lies today.” The sad truth is disheartening; while I wonder how much time this glacier has left, I hope there will still be a few more generations after us who’ll get to enjoy its beauty before it’s gone forever…

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My self-drive trip in Iceland and this Blue Ice Glacial Hike was hosted by Discover the World. All opinions expressed above are my own. Check out what I’ll be doing in Iceland, and read more about my adventures in Iceland here or follow my updates on Facebook and Twitter.

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Nellie Huang

Nellie Huang is the founder of WildJunket. Originally from Singapore, Nellie has traveled to over 150 countries across 7 continents. As an accomplished travel writer, she has written for BBC Travel, CNN and Rough Guides. She is also the author of five travel books, including the latest Lonely Planet's Mexico guidebook. Read more about her here and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

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The Comments

  • Bobbi Lee Hitchon
    September 19, 2011

    Looks amazing! There's no such thing as failure for your first time. I'm sure most people think they fail at ice climbing their first time. Enjoy the rest of your stay

    Reply
  • Nancy $ Shawn Power
    September 19, 2011

    Wow! Definitely sounds like an adventure! Bet you were so proud of yourself for doing it, right? We would be for sure.

    Yes, we felt the same way when we were in Alaska looking at the receded Glaciers and hoped that the weather would allow them to continue existance for sure.

    Nancy & Shawn

    Reply
  • Deb
    September 19, 2011

    Awesome, we still have yet to go ice climbing so I am very jealous. We are sticking around Canada for a few months this winter, so we are making it a priority for sure! I gotta get to Iceland though one day soon!

    Reply
  • Maggie
    June 14, 2012

    Well let me say, congratulations for even attempting ice climbing. It looks terrifying! This looks like it was incredible trip and, judging by your photos, well worth every minute of it :)

    Reply
    • Nellie Huang
      Maggie
      December 17, 2012

      It wasnt that terrifying especially since we were just climbing a 8m-high wall (so embarrassing to admit that). Ive never been that good at rock-climbing so this was definitely a challenge. Thanks for the kind words thou!

      Reply
  • cheryl
    November 30, 2012

    This looks like a lot of fun! I can't wait to visit Iceland …

    Reply

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