**April 1, 2008 - VIEW TRIP PHOTOS BELOW.... Video and story links coming soon...**
Sailing/Skiing Iceland's West Fjords - May/June 2007
In May/June 2007, we returned to Iceland to explore one of Europe's greatest wilderness areas - the mountainous Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in the remote West Fjords region of Iceland. We accessed the region by sailboat - using the boat as a "floating hut" - and spent our days backcountry skiing (i.e. climbing mountains and then skiing down them) before returning to the boat to rest and recharge. After some time on the sailboat, we moved ashore and spent 1-2 weeks camping and skiing into the heart of this wild corner of the earth.
The Hornstrandir's snow-filled mountains tower nearly 1000m above a sea coast defined by its beautiful fjords, beaches and river deltas. These mountains are as rugged and wild as they are inviting and easy to navigate - with numerous passes, snow-filled drainages and summit-to-sea ski descents making this a veritable spring-skiing paradise. A mind boggling number of birds, many arctic fox, several species of seals and even a few humans call the Hornstrandir home. As interest in this sub-arctic wilderness grows, many local residents, including backcountry guide Runar Oli Karlsson and boat captain Sigurdur Jonsson, are hoping to expand the nature reserve in order to protect the region as new Icelandic national park.
Working with Borea Adventures and Iceland's West Fjords tourism office, we documented our skiing adventures (photos, video) in the Horstrandir to help build the case for human-powered recreation and wild lands protection. Beginning in December 2007, we have been sharing our most recent experiences in Iceland through Wild People, Wild Placesprogram, and we continue to publish images and stories featuring this incredible place throughout the outdoor and general interest media.
Stay tuned for more updates and info. Happy trails!
-Brian and Emily
PARTNERS/SPONSORS:
Patagonia Inc.
Borea Adventures
Karhu
Garmont USA
IBEX Outdoor Clothing
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