Snowmobiling in Iceland – a snowmobile adventure on Mýrdalsjökull glacier

One particular of the highlights of our journey to Iceland was a snowmobile journey on Mýrdalsjökull glacier, Iceland’s fourth biggest glacier, with Icelandic Mountain Guides. If a snowmobile tour in Iceland is anything that appeals to you, read on to master more about what you can expect.

Icelandic Mountain Guides’ major foundation is at Ytri-Sólheimar 1 in Mýrdalur, about 25 km west of Vík and about 11 km east of Skógar. If travelling from Reykjavik, the distance is around 160 km and the driving time is somewhere around 2 hours. From the principal Iceland ring highway to the base, it’s a 1.2 km travel on street 222.

You will most probably have to have to guide in progress but, after at the base and your booking confirmed, the initially factor you are going to do is get kitted out. Icelandic Mountain Guides present you with an all round that goes about the outfits you are already donning, boots, a balaclava, a helmet and gloves… and then you are very good to go!

There’s a large truck waiting to take you and your fellow snowmobilers up to the glacier.

It’s all-around a 30-minute travel over tough terrain and then on to the glacier itself.

There are a quantity of snomobiles waiting around for us at the conclusion of the truck trip, and we are accompanied by two instructors who present us with an introduction to the machines and a protection briefing.

First, we are proven how to switch the snowmobile on. We change the ignition midway to change the electrics on, hold out a limited whilst and then change it fully to start it up. Similarly, we use the crucial to switch it off or, in the celebration of an crisis, a significant crimson button that kills the device. At the time on the snowmobile, we do not need to engage it gear – we just push a button to utilize consistent, steady pressure – that way you have a awesome and regular ride. The least difficult way to halt is to launch the gasoline but there is a brake that can be utilised in situation of an emergency. There are hand heaters also – set them to the ideal and they get actually warm, set them to the still left and they get a tiny bit heat, center they are off

With the basic principles lined, we’re on to the subject of protection. The just one truly vital safety factor to cover is what occurs if you fall around the device. It can happen and evidently essentially transpires really usually (even though there have been no such incidents from any individual on our journey). But you continue to need to have to remember a few really standard issues and, should you be organized, slipping in excess of will just be one thing to giggle about instead than a thing severe.

The a person most important issue to keep in mind is that, if the device is falling above, you do not adhere your arm or your leg out to catch it. If you do that, the device weighs about 350kg (roughly 600 lbs) and all of that body weight goes on to your arm or on to your leg which, as you can picture, is not pleasurable.

So, what do you do? As the driver, you’re keeping on to the handlebars – you simply seize them genuinely restricted, and retain your legs to the centre of the machine, brace by yourself and tumble in excess of holding on to the machine. For the passenger, you have some handles around your hips that you equally keep on to (alternatively than keeping on to the driver in front). As extended as you do this, you will be completely protected. Snowmobiles are constructed as crash bins and are developed to shield you. Just do not adhere your limbs outside of the machine and you are going to be risk-free. Your intuition will be to be set your hand or leg out, so it is essential to be quite aware so you don’t permit this materialize.

With that explained, we’re told how not to tumble about in the initial position. We understand that, when you’re driving, you want to counteract the drive that’s seeking to pull you off the machine. If you transform to the remaining, the drive will pull you to the suitable, so you lean to the still left with your physique. The opposite, of program, is real if you transform to the suitable. Equally, if you are driving up a hill, gravity will test to pull you backwards, so you would lean to the hill to counteract this power. And even if you ought to fall above, the employees are on hand to aid you if that takes place.

With all that spelled out, we drive in single file, with just one teacher at the front and 1 at the back again. We retain to paths in the snow, protecting a risk-free distance of at least 5 metres among each and every other.

There’s no overtaking as this can be fairly hazardous. And, if we must have a problem, we are explained to to just prevent and elevate a hand, and they’ll be with us shortly.

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The whole operation is quite slick with at least one particular end in the excursion wherever we can adjust motorists.

The weather conditions had turned a little from how it was previously in the day, and visibility was very poor. This did not spoil our satisfaction nonetheless!

We follow an ‘out and back’ route – climbing from a top of 915 metres up to just above 1,290 metres, before switching drivers and heading back again down the glacier. It’s an exhilarating trip and ou can see the specific route we took below:

No former snowmobiling expertise is necessary, but all drivers need to be 17 decades of age or older and have a entire, valid driver’s license. A learner´s allow, tractor or bike license is not enough according to Icelandic legislation. The good thing is for our eldest son, he passed his driving examination not extended ahead of our excursion to Iceland, so this was a wonderful knowledge for him!

Ordinarily on this tour, you’d be in a position to delight in the glacial landscapes and surroundings about south Iceland, but the climate was sadly not in our favour for that.

The absence of views side, this was still a seriously enjoyable excusion and, for us, a completely new expertise as a loved ones. We would bounce at the opportunity to do it yet again 1 day, because the location is reportedly pretty scenic, with absolutely great views on a sunny working day!

Arranging a vacation to Iceland you? You can look at a movie from our trip to Iceland in this article:

Disclosure: This article is sponsored by Icelandic Mountain Guides. Our trip to Iceland was also sponsored by Helly Hansen.