A Tour of Elemental Iceland - Hvannadalshnjúkur (Hvannadalshnúkur) - Highpoint Climb - July 2012

Return to alavigne.net home

NOTE: You have javascript disabled in your browser. This presentation will continue to function, but with only basic capabilities. In order to view this presentation will full capabilities, please enable javascript in your browser, then refresh this page.

[< Previous Page]

[page 1] [page 2] [page 3] [page 4] [page 5]

[Next Page >]

At around 8:20 a.m., nearly three hours and over 3,000 feet higher than when we started, we arrived at the first snowfields. We still weren't on glacier, so we continued on, kicking steps up a gently-sloping snow slope.

courtesy BConnell

courtesy Jinnes

courtesy BConnell

Crossing the first snow

Prepping for glacier travel

About fifteen minutes later we caught up with one of the guided groups, who were just completing their transition to glacier-travel mode. We had to do the same, and stopped at the last outcropping of rock at the edge of the first glacier we would be climbing on - the Kotarjökull glacier.

courtesy CHatko

Prepping for glacier travel

Beginning glacier climb

Prepping and transitioning into roped travel can be a time-consuming experience, and such was the case for us today. Given that our group does not do glacier climbing all that regularly, it took us quite a while to fumble our way into a fully set-up state. We had two ropes, and we therefore split into two teams: Roland, Jenn and Caroline on one team - we shall call them "Team One", and myself, Chris, Brian and Ewart on the other: "Team Two".

courtesy BConnell

courtesy Jinnes

Lower team still not ready

Clearing up

Final rope checks

Team One was substantially quicker than Team Two, and they were ready and in fact already starting to ascend the glacier while Team Two struggled to get itself in order. In the meantime, happily, the layer of cloud we had been stuck within burned away, and a strong bright sun now shone down on us. Having experienced first-hand the unpleasantness of not properly lathering up when travelling on a glacier, we immediately stopped and put on a several layers of sunscreen, even including the interior of our nostrils.

courtesy CHatko

Pro

Finally ready to make progress

The grade

After forty-five long minutes, we were finally ready to start climbing up the glacier (definitely we need to improve that transition time!). With final "buddy checks" complete, and with a final reminder about how to hold the ice axe and how to get into the self-arrest position, we were off. Team One (Roland, Jenn, and Caroline) were already many rope-lengths above us, patiently waiting for us to get our butts in gear.

courtesy Jinnes

Up the Kotarjökull

Fallen mannequin

Summit dome in view

The slope of the Kotarjökull glacier wasn't all that steep, and the snow was reasonably firm. We were also able to maintain an efficient line straight up the slope, since there was little in the way of open crevasses on this lower part of the glacier. We still maintained our "Quarter-K" break rule, stopping every 250 feet. Chris began to take these stops as an opportunity to commune very closely with the glacier.

courtesy BConnell

courtesy CHatko

More heat-sucking

Jenn climbing Kotarjökull

Team one on the move

courtesy BConnell

Parallel teams

courtesy Jinnes

4750 Quarter-K break

Puffy clouds below

Protruding ridgeline

As we neared the top of the Kotarjökull glacier, we began to get a few undulations in the underlying slope, and as a result, we finally began to see some minor crevassing, requiring us to make a few obvious detours. I was happy to see the crevasses, since it was a little boring to be trudging endlessly up a white slope, and also because I wanted to show Chris and Ewart - glacier first-timers - their first real honest-to-goodness crevasse.

Team two waits

Rounding a crevasse

Small crevasse

The Quarter-K breaks steadily ticked by... 4000, 4250, 4500, 4750. After many of these and a few zig-zags around some larger crevasses, we crested the southern edge of Öræfajökull's crater, at 6,000 feet. It was shortly after noon, and we had climbed nearly all of the altitude of the climb - only 900 feet more to go.

[< Previous Page]

[page 1] [page 2] [page 3] [page 4] [page 5]

[Next Page >]

Send feedback or leave comments (note: comments in message board below are separate from those in above message board)

send feedback |

homemade custom message board

(There are no messages in the homemade custom message board)