Böggvisstadafjall Ski Tour, Iceland

We had a bit of everything today, weather wise. There were some tricky conditions to take into account to stay safe today. After lots of time spent looking at forecasts and maps, we decided to head up above the ski fields at Dalvik, with the intention of making an ascent of a peak called Böggvisstadafjall. We set off in misty conditions, but a clear spell arrived soon after we set off, giving us some dramatic views of the fjord.

The winds however, continued to pick up and were blowing a lot of snow around.

 

Despite the spindrift, we were still able to make steady upward progress with relatively good views.

 

However, below the final steepening near the summit, the blown snow had begun to accumulate in worryingly deep amounts. This meant that there was a new and unstable slab of snow forming on the base below. We moved onto some safer ground in an attempt to find a shallower angle to ascend, but on finding none, we all agreed that it would be safer to descend. Especially, now that the visibility had vanished completely. We were tantalisingly close, but it was the right decision to make.

 

To begin with, the ski down might as well have been done with our eyes closed. With white sky and white ground, it was impossible to tell where one began and the other finished. At one point, I wasn't even sure if I was moving or standing still!

 

In anticipation of this, I had been adding some 'way markers' on my GPS, during the ascent, so we were able to keep track of where we were going, even though we couldn't see. For a while, it was a journey of trust as we made our turns through the whiteout. Steadily, as predicted by the tiny screen, we found our way back and enjoyed the turns through the fresh snow, down to the car.