Ice climbing in Iceland for first-timers

You don’t need to have climbed before. Every beginner ice climbing tour in Iceland is a glacier hike with a climbing session in the middle: the guide finds an ice wall, sets a rope from the top, and you climb it with two axes and crampons while someone holds you. If you’re driving the South Coast, book it on Sólheimajökull. If you’re going as far as Skaftafell, do it there instead. The ice is bigger and the groups are smaller.

What the climbing actually is

You walk onto the glacier in crampons, much like a normal glacier hike. At a suitable wall, often the side of a crevasse or a moulin, the guide sets a top rope. You’re in a harness, tied in, with a guide belaying you. You kick the front points of your crampons into the ice, swing an axe in each hand, and move up. Then you’re lowered back down.

Most people get two to four climbs, depending on group size and time. The first is a teaching climb. Later ones get steeper or longer. You can stop after one. Nobody minds.

It’s harder on your arms than you expect, and it’s mostly your calves that give out. Push with your legs; people who try to haul themselves up by the arms tire fastest.

Fitness

You don’t need to be a climber. You need to walk for a few hours on uneven ground, and to be happy on a rope a few metres off the ice. Some listings are specific: the Blue Ice hike and climb is rated moderate and says to be ready to hike up to 8 km over uneven terrain. The four-hour Skaftafell climb asks for a good level of fitness.

Minimum ages vary. Several tours set 14 or 16. Check the listing, not the photograph.

Bring boots with ankle support. They’re mandatory on most tours, and trainers won’t take crampons properly. Boots and waterproofs can usually be rented at the meeting point for a small fee, but book them in advance if the listing asks.

Sólheimajökull: the South Coast one

Sólheimajökull is an outlet of Mýrdalsjökull, just off Road 1 between Skógafoss and Vík. It’s the easiest glacier in the country to reach, which is why it’s also the busiest.

• Glacier hike & Ice Climbing, from €182, four and a half hours, meeting at the Sólheimajökull car park. A short walk in, then the guide looks for three different walls, starting easy. The listing says you don’t need to be very fit. It’s the cheapest proper climb we list.
• Blue Ice — Sólheimajökull Glacier Hike & Ice Climbing, from €190, five and a half hours, minimum age 14. It approaches the glacier from above through a moss valley, with a longer hike and a climbing introduction on the ice. More walking, less climbing.

Sólheimajökull has retreated a long way. The ice near the snout is grey with volcanic ash, so don’t expect deep blue walls. The climbing is still real.

If you only want the walk, our Sólheimajökull hike guide covers that, and the glacier hike guide compares the glaciers.

Skaftafell: more ice, fewer people

Skaftafell is about four hours east of Reykjavík, on the edge of Vatnajökull. The outlet glaciers here, Falljökull and Virkisjökull among them, are steeper and more broken, so there are more walls to choose from.

• Glacier Ice Climbing, from €234, four hours with about three on the ice, maximum six people per guide, minimum age 16. The listing says it goes beyond simple top-roping and can add rope work and glacier-travel skills. It’s the one to pick if climbing is the point.
• Glacier Hike and Ice climbing in Skaftafell, from €242, six and a half hours from the Skaftafell airstrip. A longer hike on Falljökull or Virkisjökull with an introductory climbing session. The listing rates it moderate, sets a minimum age of 16 and one guide to six people.

No car?

Blue Ice — Glacier Hike & Ice Climbing from Reykjavík, from €242, thirteen and a half hours. Pickup in Reykjavík, stops at Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, then a hike and climbing introduction on Sólheimajökull. Minimum age 14. It’s a long day for a few hours on the ice, but it’s the honest answer if you aren’t driving.

Weather and season

Glacier tours run all year. The walls change every season, and guides pick the safe ones on the day. Rain is more common than snow on the South Coast, so waterproof trousers matter more than a warm hat. Operators cancel in storms and you get a refund or a new date.

Our honest take

If you’re driving the South Coast, book the €182 Sólheimajökull climb. It’s the cheapest, it’s on your route, and you’ll get several goes on the wall.

If you’re staying near Skaftafell and climbing is the reason you’re booking, pay the extra for the €234 tour with six to a guide. You get more time on the rope and better ice. The downside is the minimum age of 16 and a harder day.

Don’t book a climbing tour if heights make you freeze. The walls are short, but you are on a rope above a crevasse. A plain glacier hike is the better day for you.