LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/916092
Winter 2017 LOCALadk Magazine 57 LOCALadk this that is pleasant, for nothing" Mid-winter rains and occasional arctic sunshine – often fol- lowed by sub-freezing temperatures – also contribute to a va- riety of difficult-to-ski snow crusts. With its rugged nautical conditions, isolation, and minimal ski scene, Iceland reminds me of two other places where I've spent a lot of time: Alaska, and the Adirondacks. My first ski trip to Iceland began as an ice climbing trip in Is- afjordur, capital of the Westfjords. This small fishing port sits on a spit of land that juts into dark waters and is surrounded by mountains striated with gullies and couloirs. The climbing, with its long approaches and steep, delaminating sheets of maritime ice, was both tiresome and terrif ying. Each evening we'd return exhausted, and soak in geothermal pools and eat fresh fish stew, and I'd gaze up at the mountains thinking how much better suited to skiing they were than to climbing. By chance, only a few days later, I was introduced to Captain Sigurdur 'Siggi' Jonsson, owner and operator of Aurora Arkti- ka, an expedition sailboat taking backcountr y skiers into the Northernmost fjords of Iceland. Back on board the Arkitka – a 60 -foot, steel-hulled Dutch sailing vessel with room for 12, which was our floating base- camp for the week – the storm has calmed only enough to re- veal occasional gaps in the clouds and new snow on the peaks. Inspired by the potential for exploration and adventure, I char- tered Arktika nearly a year ago, on that first ice climbing trip. Now, having rounded up a group of seven backcountr y skiers, we're four days into our six-day trip when the storm forces us to take a morning off. Prior to that, we'd managed to traverse much of the Hornstrandir Peninsula, meeting Arktika in a new fjord each evening. After each day of skiing, we return to the boat for drinks and appetizers, followed by some of the best food and Aurora Borealis any of us has ever experienced. Accessible only by boat, the Hornstrandir was once home to the infamous Viking, Erik the Red, father of Leif Erikson, who is credited as the first European to discover North America. Today there are no permanent inhabitants on Hornstrandir aside from Arctic fox, seals, and seabirds. Remnant whaling stations and sheep farms exist as a reminder of those that came before, but mostly they ser ve as interesting ruins. They have only been abandoned since the 1940s, but are eerie all the same. In summer, Hornstrandir has miles of green, grassy hills for walking and camping along the coastline. But in win- ter the hills are transformed into formidable white moun- tains with a distinctly lonely feel. In our time here, we always get first tracks; we ski wherever we wish. Never do we see another person. But the intertwining of humans and nature is irrefutable here…Which brings up the fascinating topic of Huldufólk, the Icelandic word for Elves. Sur veys have found that more than 50 percent of Iceland- ers believe in Elves. They peacefully go about their lives in the same way we do, but we never see them, except when they choose to reveal themselves – and sometimes children glimpse them.