Northern Lights Winter Camp

Located just below the Arctic circle, the West Fjords of Iceland are an ideal playground for learning the tricks of winter camping. This course is intended to give people with little or no previous experience of travelling in the winter an opportunity to try this in a safe and fun environment. This course can also be enjoyed by people with more previous experience. Even if we are in real arctic environment we are still relatively close to nearest settlements in case we get hit by a storm. We will spend the first days on the remote Korpudalur farm which has been converted to a comfortable guesthouse. There we will spend all day outdoors with basic lessons in rope handling, use of ice axes and crampons, cross-country skiing etc. We will also build snow caves and igloos and maybe sleep there under the Northern Lights. We will then head on into the mountains and use 2-3 days to cross an easy mountain range over to another valley where we will finish the trip with a nice dip into a natural, outdoor, geothermal pool and good dinner at the Heydalur farm guesthouse. This is prime time to see the Northern Lights racing across the sky.

All special equipment will be provided like tents, stoves, skis and climbing gear.

Trip itinerary

 

Day 1 - Monday

Departure from Isafjordur at 18:00. Half hour drive to the Korpudalur farm. Short indoor lessons on rope handling, knots etc as well as introduction to clothing and other equipment. First night will then be spent in the comfortable guesthouse.

 

Day 2 - Tuesday

We'll begin the day with safety briefing and introduction to avalanche search and rescue. Then we will head up into the hills and spend the morning on lessons in the use of ice axes, crampons and basic rope belaying techniques. After lunch it´s out again for some cross-country skiing lessons. In the afternoon we will look for a suitable location to dig snow caves and hopefully build an igloo where we will have dinner and sleep the second night if group prefers.

 

Day 3 - Wednesday

In the morning we will head back to the Korpudalur farm for a hearty breakfast. Morning spent on final preparations for our trip into the mountains. We will ski up the valley and set up our tents above Alftafjordur fjord.

 

Day 4 - Thursday

Full day spent on the mountain, skiing from Alftafjordur towards the 900m high Glama plateau where we will camp again.

 

Day 5 - Friday

After breaking camp we will head on down to Mjoifjordur fjord towards Heydalur valley and the farm/guesthouse. There the natural geothermal pool will await us. We will spend the last night there. Here are opportunities to try horse-back riding, kayaking or fishing for trout through the ice in mountain lakes. Slide show from mountaineering trips and expeditions all over the world.

 

Day 6 - Saturday

Morning spent on activities near the farm. After lunch about two hours drive back to Isafjordur. Oportunity to spend an extra day on a hotel in Isafjordur or fly to Reykjavik and spend one night there before heading back home.

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Ski touring in Iceland
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Trip no Dates Days Seats Price
1010010 Mar. 08 - Mar. 13, 2010 6 10 1250 EUR BOOK!

Included:

  • All food and fuel during the course
  • Accommodation in guesthouses during program
  • Guiding and instructions
  • Use of tents, stoves, ice axes, crampons, ropes, harnesses etc.

Not included:

  • Travel to and from Ísafjörður, Iceland unless specifically mentioned in itinerary.
  • Personal medical insurance
  • Personal clothes, sleeping bags, avalance tranceivers, boots and ski equipment (can be rented in Iceland)
  • Other personal equipment as pr recommended equipment list.


Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging

Terms and conditions


The Borea Adventures trips/voyages are of an adventurous nature and to relatively remote places in Iceland, Greenland and other places. Borea Adventures makes best effort to stick to the planned itinerary but participants must appreciate and acknowledge that the trip/voyage requires considerable flexibility. The company and captain of the vessel reserve the right to adjust the itinerary without notice for reasons beyond their control such as weather, ice-conditions or other unpredictable or unforeseeable circumstances. Once departed on the voyage the captain will have final say on all decisions affecting safety etc and this must be accepted by all participants.

Download full version of "terms and conditions" here.

All trips list:

Winter
Nature
Summer
Arctic
Charter
"Many thanks for a great trip. Nice and cool guide, great local cook. Too short to discover your awesome country. Hope to be back soon for other adventures"
- Benoit, France
"Jökulbungu Drangajökuls náð á hlaupum, dans á dekkinu, bútungur á krók, darraðadans í öldum, lundi við fætur okkar í Vigur, félagskapurinn alltaf... ..."
- Guðrún, Ísland
"Thank you for an unforgettable trip; great scoff, fantastic scenery and weather. We will miss you and the mother ship next time we´re paddling.  ..."
- Sonia, England

             Our Adventures

             General Information

             Miscellaneous


Welcome to the website for Borea Adventures, Iceland, your number one stop for Arctic adventures in high latitudes. We provide great adventures and expeditions in Iceland, Greenland, East Greenland, Jan Mayen and Svalbard (Spitzbergen), mainly using our spacious yacht, the Aurora. Our philosophy is to make our trips as silent as possible where we minimize the use of motorized power and encourage physical activities, whether sea kayaking, climbing, sailing, walking and hiking, wildlife, ski touring and backcountry skiing for beginners, experts and people of all ages. The North Atlantic is our playground and we offer scheduled trips for individuals and groups as well as customized itineraries and charter for groups. We travel in harmony with the wildlife of the area: Arctic Foxes, Birds, Seals, Whales and Polar Bears. Aurora is a sturdy expedition yacht and was raced four times around the globe as part of the Clipper Round the World yacht race under the ownership of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. She gives us a great opportunity to provide Arctic adventures in areas that are hard to reach otherwise. We call her our floating basecamp. Our name is derived from Greek mythology where Boreas was the god of the north wind. Aurora on the other hand was the Roman rosy-fingered goddess of dawn. Aurora Borealis is a name for the Northern lights which are common in our area. As we humans have proven through the decades, names can be hard to remember. Especially if a bit of alcohol gets passed around the galley too many times! You might spell our name Boreal Adventures, Borial Adventures, Borea Adventrues and Borealis Adventures. Thank you for visiting Borea Adventures.