Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.02.2010, Side 27

As most Icelandic adventures, this one
starts at eight-thirty in the morning
at Reykjavík’s central bus terminal,
BSÍ. Grapevine’s photographer and I
are there to embark upon Reykjavík
Excursions Glacier Adventure, which
entails riding snowmobiles around the
Mýrdalsjökull glacier. We board the
bus, and I try to nap but get distracted
by the driver, who turns out to be a
knowledgeable and entertaining tour
guide.
On the last leg of the trip there, we
meet our guide, Andrína, who lives on
a farm just below Mýrdalsjökull and
proceeds to drive the last metres to
the glacier in her jeep. We drive up a
bumpy gravel road bridging a height
gap of 700 metres, finally reaching a
cute red cabin where we put on our gla-
cier-gear. Once we reach the snowmo-
biles, Andrína tells us how to handle
them. There is not much to it; the accel-
erator throttle is on the right handlebar
and the breaks are on the left one.
We are finally ready to start the
adventure. The group pairs up on the
snowmobiles and we start the drive. A
few seconds in, I realise I'm just not
very good at this. I desperately fail to
comprehend how everyone manages
to just speed off, leaving me trying to
figure out how to steer this weird metal
beast.
After a while, the rest of the group
notices our fading ability to keep pace
and slows down. Confused desperation
makes way for pure joy. However, my
enjoyment only lasts for a few minutes,
ultimately turning into a thrill which
will ultimately transform to fear.
After going around a bit and discov-
ering the beauty of the colour white, we
set our sights for the top of the glacier.
This is where our troubles start. The
weather suddenly changes, and the
wind shows its force according to true
Icelandic tradition. The only way to
stay in control of my snowmobile is to
lean against the wind, hanging on one
side of it.
The wind gets worse, along with the
visibility. Suddenly, we realise that one
of the couples (along with their snow-
mobile) is missing. We stop and the
guide goes looking for them for what
seems like hours. Have they landed in
some obscure crevasse the guide didn't
know about? The photographer and I
exchange frightened looks. The couple
eventually reappears, thankfully, and
we carry on through the storm.
In order to see something I am
forced to remove the visor from my
helmet. As the wind gets worse and
worse, I start wondering if these are
normal conditions for an adventurous
trip. The storm seems to be trying to
prove who is stronger. After a few min-
utes of fighting it, we are defeated and
our snowmobile tilts over. Our guide
comes to the rescue, and we proceed
onto the next round of adventuring.
We drive on. We wonder whether
the guide has any idea where we are.
She stops every now and then to check
her GPS—but what if it’s not working?
Would a rescue team find us? Will we
ever get home again? Will we die on
some snowy rock on a snowy rock in
the outskirts of the North-Atlantic?
Will our mothers cry? As I lose sight of
the snowmobile in front of me, I feel all
hope slip away.
In the midst of my despair, we start
seeing the outlines of a mountain! And
no mountain has ever appeared this
beautiful, for it means that I can see—
and if I can see, there is no more storm!
Indeed, Andrína makes us stop to
enjoy the view of the glacier tongue
below us. At this moment in time, I’m
not really in the mood for sightseeing.
I'd rather open a bottle of champagne
and celebrate life. We head back to the
cabin and—except for falling off our
snowmobiles every now and again—
the way back remains peaceful.
As soon as we reach safe ground,
we corner our guide with questions:
Did you know where we were at all
times? Did the GPS work? Is the weath-
er always like this?” She answered yes
to all of them, adding that the winter
weather is usually like this.
While Andrína takes us back down
to her farm and our bus, I ask her a few
questions I should have maybe asked
in advance. I find out that she has been
guiding this tour since 1994, that she
has never lost anyone or had to call a
rescue team, and that the worst things
that happened during these trips were
"some broken legs".
Later, on the bus, it gets quiet. The
exhausted adventurers take a well-de-
served nap. A good, scary day is over.
27
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01 — 2010
Travel | Snowmobiling
SOPHIA VAn TREECK
JuLIA STAPLES
Scary Adventures
On A Glacier
Always best price online.
Various online-offers to all Air Iceland's destinations.
www.airiceland.is
websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Contact Air Iceland or
travel agent for reservation.
ÍS
L
E
N
S
K
A
S
IA
.I
S
F
L
U
4
75
69
1
0/
20
09
KEFLAVÍK
BORGARNES
STYKKISHÓLMUR
SNÆFELLSJÖKULL
DRANGAJÖKULL
FLATEY
NESKAUPSTAÐUR
BLÖNDUÓS
SIGLUFJÖRÐUR
BOLUNGARVÍK
HRÍSEY
NARSARSSUAQ
Greenland
FAROE ISLANDS
REYKJAVÍK
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
VESTMANNAEYJAR
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
ÞÓRSHÖFN
HÚSAVÍK
GRÍMSEY
KULUSUK
Greenland
Blue Lagoon
AKRANES Geysir
Gullfoss
Jökullónið
Kárahnjúkar
Krafla
Hallormstaður
NUUK
Greenland
ILULISSAT
Greenland
www.airiceland.is
CONSTABLE POINT
Greenland
Trip provided by Reykjavík Excursions
www.re.is
“Will we ever get home
again? Will we die on
some snowy rock on an
island in the Atlantic
Ocean? Will our
mothers cry?”