Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.08.2008, Blaðsíða 36

36 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 11—2008
DESTINATION By steinunn JaKoBsDÓttir
“This is probably the smallest sports match in Iceland,” says
Garðar as he carries his kayak to his car, parked outside the
countryside boathouse Drumbó Basecamp. Drumbó, locat-
ed on the banks of Hvítá glacier river, is the meeting-place
for rafters and kayakers, only minutes away from the Tun-
gufljót river, where the annual Tungufljót-race in whitewater
kayaking was about to take place. The group gathered out-
side furthermore explained that the event was more about
friends having fun than a formal competition and I got the
feeling the paddlers packing their gear were surprised to see
a journalist taking interest in their hobby. When hearing that
a group of adrenaline junkies were about race down one of
Iceland’s rougher rivers in a small plastic boat Grapevine just
had to watch.
HARD-CORE RIvER ACTION
When we got to Tungufljót, I understood Garðar’s comment.
The group dressed in the wetsuits was small, only 10 com-
petitors, (nine guys and one girl). This was a laid-back get-to-
gether of clearly long-time friends. Many of them even work
together and spend their working hours rafting, snorkelling,
caving and hiking and their free time playing around the ex-
tremes Iceland’s nature can offer.
I was told that the turn-up was actually not that bad
as the ten competitors racing this time make up about half
of the active whitewater kayakers in Iceland. Although the
group gathered was tiny the competitive spirit was raised
high and to watch them paddle down the stream and ruth-
lessly push each other with the oar was just awesome. After
an exciting race, Jón Heiðar stood up as the ultimate winner.
After the mach was over, soaking wet, exhausted but mostly
high on the adrenaline rush, the group drove off.
“We meet there to do something fun together”, says Jón
Heiðar when I catch up with him in his more relaxed office
on Laugavegur. He’s one of the legends in the sport. One
of the more experienced paddlers he and his buddies aren’t
afraid to drop down dangerously high waterfalls and paddle
huge waves and rough rapids. (Just look at the photos. They
are crazy!)
“I started kayaking in 1998. At that time, there were
about five guys active in the sport. Nothing was really hap-
pening as whitewater kayaking was still new in Iceland,” he
explains. “Around the year 2000, a couple of Americans vis-
ited the country and opened a totally new world to us”, he
Sky's the Limit
Iceland’s whitewater kayak cul-
ture might be small, but the pad-
dlers have huge missions
Iceland’s rivers aren’t only perfect for
fishing or picturesque to watch. Many
times a month, a small group of adventur-
ous whitewater kayakers paddle down
the most ruthless ones and crisscross
the country with the goal set to find new
creeks and waterfalls to run down. Grape-
vine tracked some of them down and
learned that a river is so much more than
a river.