Summit – 2,110m.a.s.l. (6,921ft)

Climbing Season – May-September

Time of year climbed – June

Duration – 1 Day

Hvannadalshnúkur. The highest peak in Iceland. Sitting on the crater rim of the volcano Oræfajökull in the country’s South East, at 2,110m, it’s a beauty.

Climbing it is physically and mentally demanding, but so rewarding to be able stand tall on the top of Iceland, looking out over the Vatnajökull glacier. A glacier larger in volume than all of mainland Europe’s glacier combined.  

For this climb I booked with Icelandic Mountain guides

Drive from Reykjavik

I was picked up the evening before the climb in Reykjavik and began the 4-hour drive to Hof where I had booked to stay the night at the Adventure Hotel Hof. The roads were clear and the drive provided great views of Iceland’s surreal landscape. Fields of barren black volcanic rock, followed by fields of lush green lava moss. And a quick stop at a KFC to fuel up before the next day’s efforts, like a proper athlete.

And so, it begins

Meeting up in Car Park at 3am, we did a quick gear check, before setting off. It was at this point I knew, I’d f***** up. I’d remembered everything, except for my sunglasses, and with a 14 hour climb ahead, there was no time to head back to the hotel for them. Dropping out would’ve meant no one could climb as there were only 3 of us, the minimum needed to safely rope up and navigate the glacier and it’s crevasses. So, with some slightly unconvincing words of reassurance from the guide, on we went.

The first section of the climb is a rocky path that leads up to the foot of the glacier.  We climbed the roughly 800m to this point in around 2 hours. Then it was time to tackle the glacier. Crampons on, Ice axes at the ready and roped up we set off after a short rest.

Vatnajökull

The day had been misty and overcast so far. That was about to change. 30 minutes or so after we set off up the glacier, the mist turned into a complete white -out with about 5m of visibility and howling wind that was whipping up the snow. Being the last person on the rope, I could neither see nor hear either of my climbing partners ahead of me. The rope just disappeared into nothingness and all I could hear was the wind.

For a while it was actually quite nice, almost peaceful, like I had the place to myself, but then the wind really started messing with me. The wind was picking the rope up and pulling it hard, several times I almost dropped to the deck thinking one of my partners must have fallen into a crevasse. My inexperience had me on edge. This was my first ever time climbing up a glacier.

We had to navigate 4 crevasses whilst on our way up the glacier. After crossing, each person would wait for the next one to arrive at the crevasse so they could make them aware. The 6 inches or so of soft snow on the glacier made for slightly easier climbing, the problem with that amount of snow however is that it can conceal crevasses, and effectively turn them into big icy booby traps.

Close call

Approaching the last crevasse we would cross on the climb, I saw my climbing partner waiting to make me aware of it. He looked calm and called out “Another one there mate!”, before turning and heading a few steps more up the glacier. I looked down. In front of me was a 2-3-foot-wide crevasse. Covering the opening was a thin transparent layer of ice. You could see right down into it, and it was a deep one. Very deep.

And in that thin layer of ice were tiny puncture marks from his crampons!

Both him and the guide ahead of him had missed it initially as it was covered in snow. And he had so, so nearly ended up in it, but for a very thin layer of ice that was bridging the gap, which he luckily hadn’t had his full weight on when crossing. Thankfully after stepping on it he did then realise it was there and was able to give me a heads up.

 I’m not sure from his calmness if he realised just how close he was to going in it. Maybe he was playing it cool, but I think if he had realised, he would have let out a little bit of poo.

Plateau

Finally, we arrived on the plateau. We stopped for a short while and had some food. The visibility had started to improve a little and we set off again. The large flat plateau section of the climb sounded like a dream whilst struggling up the glacier but this was no easy task either. The snow was deeper here and difficult to walk through. High knees it was, all the way to the base of the final summit climb.

The final summit climb is around a 300m ascent. We dropped our bags at the base as we wouldn’t need them and headed up. Dropping your bags here is a great shout, it makes the last climb so much easier than it would’ve otherwise felt.

And at last, 8 and half hours after setting off form the car park… we summited!

Summitting and the journey back

We were encased in mist and cloud still so there really wasn’t much to see. We also had to be very careful where we walked, due to the big snow cornices built up on the summit. Surprisingly though, the lack of views as a reward for summiting didn’t take away from the excitement of just being there. We spent a few minutes taking it all in, got some photos and then headed back down.

And then, just as we were coming down, out of nowhere the clouds broke and for just a few precious minutes, blue sky was above us and we could see into the distance. And it was absolutely stunning.

Looking back up, we could see where we had just been. Looking down we could see ours, and other climbers, footprints going far off into the distance along the impressive Vatnajökull glacier, guiding us home. It was perfect timing and the perfect reward.

And then back into mist and cloud for the rest of the way down

The way down was when I realised, I had forgotten something else along with my sunglasses… my gaiters. Snow was pouring into the top of my boots with filling my boots with icy cold meltwater, which I had to repeatedly stop and pour out. It was snow fun, snow fun at all.

Post climb

After 5 hours we arrived back at the car park and then it was a short drive back to my hotel. Still on a high from the summit, I was blissfully unaware of what was to come. I thought I had gotten away with not having my sunglasses, particularly given the weather, but I was wrong. Very wrong. About an hour after arriving back at my hotel, my eyeballs felt like two flaming ping pongs balls sellotaped to my face. I also burnt the underside of my nose, who knew that was a thing? Massive blisters on my feet, frost nip in my pinky toes and seized up calves left me feeling like I had been hit by a car. And reversed then over. To top it off the hotel restaurant was closed and nowhere was open for food, so half a can of pringles it was.

An incredible day and an incredible climb.

Days later on a Golden Circle tour I mentioned in passing to the tour guide I had climbed Hvannadalshnúkur, to which he loudly proclaimed me to be a “true Viking of a man” and immediately got on the bus’s intercom to tell all the other (largely disinterested) tourists. So definitely worth it just for that.

(…although Vikings never really climbed mountains in Iceland, they had no interest in it as it was neither practical, necessary nor a glorious thing to do in their eyes… but still, I’ll take it)

8 Top Tips for Climbing Hvannadalshnúkur

Here are my top 8 tips for climbing and successfully summiting Hvannadalshnúkur.

• Use a guide. It’s extremely risky to climb without one with the dangerous crevasses that are on the glacier and the possibility for losing your way in bad weather
• Get fit. At the time I climbed I was in the midst of training for a marathon. I was up to running 10/11 miles at that point on my long runs, and I found the mountain tough, really feeling it physically afterwards. I would recommend being around a half marathon level of fitness or better to summit
• Don’t forget your sunglasses. UV rays reflect off snow and ice and even in cloudy and misty weather you can still get burnt.
• Put sunscreen on the underside of your nose for the same reason as above!
• After the plateau and before you tackle the final peak, drop your bags. You won’t need them at the top and lightening the load will make it feel much easier.
• Bring and use gaiters for your descent. Snow coming over the top and into your boots will make the descent feel a lot, lot, longer. Believe me.
• It’s a long day, bring plenty of snacks to maintain your energy levels and keep you going throughout
• You’ll likely get back late and, if you’re staying in Hof, there’s a chance nowhere will be open to get something to eat. So, make sure you have something in your hotel room for afterwards just in case. Half a can of pringles is hardly the Viking feast climbing this mountain deserves.

Climbing Gear List

• Ice Axe, Crampons and Rope – If you use a guide, they will be able to supply these.
• 40-50l Backpack with rain cover
• Warm hat
• Sun hat
• Buff
• Sunglasses
• Thermal base layer
• Moisture wicking layer
• Warm insulating layer/s
• Waterproof Shell Jacket
• Hiking trousers
• Waterproof trousers
• Gaiters
• Hiking Boots – that can take crampons!
• Wool socks
• Liner Socks
• Gloves
• Hiking Poles
• Sunscreen