Skiing, crosscountry skiing, snowboarding

Skiing, skiing, and skiing again.....

Last week looked promising when it came to snow in the north of Iceland.
I happened to be in the south of Iceland last week, where we had clear sky and lots of sun, although rather chilly.
Right before flying north back to Akureyri on Wednesday, believe it or not, it started snowing in Reykjavík and we even had to wait for 15 minutes circling on the runway while the it was being cleaned for us. However, arriving in Akureyri, it felt like coming to a different world....there was loads of snow in comparison to the south....

And, if you happen to be in the north of Iceland over winter time, trying out winter sports, eventhough you haven't tried skiing before, is a must, especially when the conditions are favourable.

Eyjafjördur - fjord where Akureyri lies - is one of the best places in Iceland for cross-country and downhill skiing. The area is very well serviced and the ski slopes, on Hlíðarfjall mountain, 5 km above the town, are unique in many ways. Their elevation ranges from 500 m to 1000 m above sea level, and thus there is plenty of snow during the winter.

Hlíðarfjall ski resort offers ski and snowboard lessons for both children and adults, at all times, just that the lessons must be booked in advance. The gear can be rented on spot and you can check all the prices and other details on the web-page, which has been udpated and has a very good set out.

There are some new features and in order to get information about openinghours, weather and other details, press here.

The front page has a detailed overview of updated weather conditions on the mountain, which comes extremely handy for everchanging Icelandic weather
There are still some challenges and things to be improved.
One of them is an English version of their web-page.
Another one is actual accommodation on the slope. There is none and also a pick up service is missing, which is normally combined with the accommodation. For the time being, of you need a place check out the possibilities either in Akureyri or along the fjord...there are many to choose from.

So let´s see what will future bring.

The following contact number works really well, so if you decide to check this place out, do not hesitate and call (+354) 462 – 2280.

I myself tried some cross-country skiing there and that was awesome....overlooking the long fjord and enjoying well maintaned paths was just a pleasure that I definitely recommend.

A brochure presenting the Hlíðarfjall ski area as well as other ski areas in the neighbourhood, can be found here (NB! 2007 edition).

Looking forward to getting your comments.