Snowmobiling in Iceland – a snowmobile adventure on Mýrdalsjökull glacier

Just one of the highlights of our trip to Iceland was a snowmobile journey on Mýrdalsjökull glacier, Iceland’s fourth greatest glacier, with Icelandic Mountain Guides. If a snowmobile tour in Iceland is something that appeals to you, browse on to find out extra about what you can anticipate.

Icelandic Mountain Guides’ key base 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 all-around 160 km and the driving time is around 2 hrs. From the main Iceland ring street to the foundation, it’s a 1.2 km generate on highway 222.

You’ll most probable require to reserve in progress but, after at the base and your reserving verified, the 1st issue you’ll do is get kitted out. Icelandic Mountain Guides present you with an all round that goes over the garments you are currently sporting, boots, a balaclava, a helmet and gloves… and then you are fantastic to go!

There is a substantial truck waiting around to acquire you and your fellow snowmobilers up to the glacier.

It is all around a 30-moment generate more than rough terrain and then on to the glacier itself.

There are a quantity of snomobiles waiting for us at the end of the truck journey, and we are accompanied by two instructors who provide us with an introduction to the devices and a basic safety briefing.

Initially, we are demonstrated how to change the snowmobile on. We convert the ignition midway to flip the electrics on, wait a limited whilst and then transform it entirely to start it up. Likewise, we use the critical to convert it off or, in the celebration of an crisis, a huge pink button that kills the machine. As soon as on the snowmobile, we do not will need to interact it gear – we just press a button to utilize consistent, continual tension – that way you have a wonderful and steady ride. The most straightforward way to cease is to launch the fuel but there is a brake that can be used in circumstance of an unexpected emergency. There are hand warmers also – set them to the suitable and they get definitely warm, put them to the left and they get a minor little bit heat, center they are off

With the essentials coated, we’re on to the matter of basic safety. The one definitely important safety aspect to go over is what comes about if you drop in excess of the equipment. It can come about and seemingly truly takes place fairly frequently (while there ended up no these incidents from any one on our trip). But you still need to bear in mind a couple definitely basic factors and, really should you be prepared, falling around will just be something to snicker about somewhat than a thing really serious.

The one most crucial detail to recall is that, if the machine is slipping more than, you do not stick your arm or your leg out to capture it. If you do that, the equipment weighs about 350kg (close to 600 lbs) and all of that weight goes on to your arm or onto your leg which, as you can imagine, is not enjoyable.

So, what do you do? As the driver, you are holding on to the handlebars – you simply get them really limited, and maintain your legs to the centre of the machine, brace by yourself and fall over keeping on to the equipment. For the passenger, you have some handles close to your hips that you likewise maintain on to (instead than holding on to the driver in front). As lengthy as you do this, you will be beautifully protected. Snowmobiles are built as crash bins and are built to shield you. Just really don’t stick your limbs outside of the machine and you’re likely to be harmless. Your intuition will be to be set your hand or leg out, so it’s essential to be pretty mindful so you don’t enable this transpire.

With that stated, we’re advised how not to fall around in the 1st put. We study that, any time you’re driving, you need to have to counteract the drive that is attempting to pull you off the device. If you transform to the still left, the power will pull you to the suitable, so you lean to the remaining with your body. The reverse, of system, is genuine if you change to the appropriate. Equally, if you are driving up a hill, gravity will attempt to pull you backwards, so you would lean to the hill to counteract this drive. And even if you should really drop over, the staff members are on hand to assistance you if that takes place.

With all that described, we drive in single file, with one particular teacher at the entrance and a single at the back again. We preserve to paths in the snow, maintaining a protected length of at minimum 5 metres between each individual other.

There is no overtaking as this can be rather risky. And, if we should have a difficulty, we are instructed to just stop and raise a hand, and they’ll be with us shortly.

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The entire procedure is really slick with at minimum 1 cease in the trip where we can alter motorists.

The weather experienced turned a tiny from how it was before in the working day, and visibility was fairly poor. This didn’t spoil our satisfaction having said that!

We observe an ‘out and back’ route – climbing from a top of 915 metres up to just more than 1,290 metres, in advance of switching drivers and heading again down the glacier. It is an exhilarating trip and ou can see the precise route we took listed here:

No preceding snowmobiling encounter is demanded, but all drivers need to be 17 decades of age or older and have a full, legitimate driver’s license. A learner´s permit, tractor or motorbike license is not enough in accordance to Icelandic law. The good news is for our eldest son, he handed his driving take a look at not prolonged ahead of our vacation to Iceland, so this was a terrific knowledge for him!

Ordinarily on this tour, you’d be ready to appreciate the glacial landscapes and surroundings more than south Iceland, but the weather conditions was sadly not in our favour for that.

The lack of sights apart, this was even now a actually enjoyment excusion and, for us, a absolutely new expertise as a spouse and children. We would bounce at the opportunity to do it all over again a person day, since the place is reportedly quite scenic, with absolutely wonderful views on a sunny day!

Arranging a trip to Iceland your self? You can enjoy a online video from our vacation to Iceland below. You can see the snowmobile expertise between 4m 28s and 4m 47s:

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