UKC

Was thinking of places to go ice climbing at the end of March / beginning of April after having figured out how expensive lift passes are in Chamonix at that time.
Ive wanted to go for quite some time, but cant really find much information online. Has anyone been? Is it worth going that late in the season?
Any other recommendations that are viable in that time period?
Cheers
Michael

In reply to MSchobitz:

There's good Ice climbing in Iceland and there's always something to go at (although u might have to go high, no lifts, cheap but can be quite a bit of walking!). Having said that if its in its in! loads of big, unclimbed stuff to go at if you know where to look. TBH this might be the problem, everyone speaks english but all the guides and magazines are (unsurprisingly) in Icelandic. The other problem you might have is transport, it'll probably be impossibly expensive to rent a four wheeler with winter tyres need to get the places you'll prob want to go. Best bet is probably to contact the climbing wall in downtown Reykjavik https://www.facebook.com/klifurhusid?pnref=about.overview. Ask for Arni, he might be keen to help you out.

In reply to MSchobitz:
Have you tried using the search button? There's been quite a lot of discussion and useful information shared on here.

Late in the season? Well, bear in mind that summer lasts from July to the end of August, and even then you can get snow storms... But, as pointed out on other discussions on this topic, winter in Iceland can be surprisingly mild.

In reply to MSchobitz:

Cheers for that, Ill look into both.

Does anyone know if the road conditions are still very bad at that time of year (still frozen, etc)? Or is the general trend that most roads become more accessible? (I do realise that most roads will have suffered from the winter and may be closed).

In reply to MSchobitz:
Road conditions can be highly variable but you can reckon on many Highland roads not being accessible until mid-June, though that can be because the surface is in a vulnerable condition.
http://www.vegagerdin.is/media/umferd-og-faerd/Opnun_fjallvega_en_2014.pdf
Other roads can also be closed during or just after storms, but the Icelanders are resourceful and hardy, and they have a very efficient snow-ploughing system.

A lot depends on where you are heading, but there's stacks of information here:
http://www.vegagerdin.is/english

If it was me and the only thing I wanted to do was to go ice climbing, I wouldn't go to Iceland. You could be lucky but there are other venues that are more reliable and about which it's easier to obtain info. For comparison, I am heading to Iceland in March and I am planning on the basis that travel will be difficult. If it's not, then that will be a bonus, but at least I won't be disappointed.

In reply to Solaris:

Cheers for all that, Ill check out the website.
Well ice climbing is the main motivation, but Ive wanted to go for ages, because the country looks amazing!
Do you know if there is any sort of information online or in books as to where the best places are to go climbing? (Any language really...)
Ive found this, which is the best thing Ive seen so far: http://www.edinburghjmcs.org.uk/pdfs/iceland.pdf

In reply to MSchobitz:

That pdf is probably the best recent thing overall that I know of in English for mountaineering. There are a few websites devoted to climbing and some have useful info in English, but on the whole, the rock's too young for climbing. Iceland's still fairly esoteric away from the popular tourist destinations and it's best, in my view, if it remains that way. Having said that, it's surprising how much one can discover...!

In reply to MSchobitz:

we had a great trip out there last season.

info here:

http://www.jottnar.com/journal/ice-and-fire/

In reply to mux:

Cheers for that!
How long were you out there for?
Quite a bit of useful info, even though knowing Icelandic seems pretty essential when looking at their alpine club website!

From what Ive seen / come across online, it seems as though there is enough to do within ~2hrs drive from Reykjavik. Is it worth heading to the north and east of the island if you're there on a short (10day) trip?

In reply to MSchobitz:

lots to do in the Eastern Fjords and its only a 6hr drive ...or so I am informed. Short flights available also.

I will be heading out that way in feb

very friendly and helpful at ISALP so get yourself signed up and ask lots of questions.

In reply to MSchobitz:

I went into Fjallakofinn which is an outdoor shop chain in Reykjavik to ask about summer and winter climbing, the manager was really helpful in giving me information of local people who I could contact and even wrote me some contacts down (I lost them, stupid) but I'm sure if you give them an email or Facebook message they would help

In reply to MSchobitz:

Cheers to everyone so far, Ill be trying out all of those tips/contacts.

Anyone got any more helpful advice to anything about ice climbing there? Places to go (anything from just outside Reykjavik to the eastern fjords), people to speak to, places to ask for info?

In reply to MSchobitz:

was out there this year in feb , it had been mild for 3 weeks before we went and some of the lower falls weren't in but we still found lots within 2 hours of Reykjavik, made a wee film as well , here's the link if you're interested vimeo.com/89955199

In reply to Nadir khan:

Hey,
I saw that video a while back and got pretty psyched for climbing there! Everything looks so fantastic! The country, the routes, the conditions!
Do you have any more information about climbing there? Maybe some place names or even GPS coordinates?
Cheers in advance for any answer!