Written by: Zuixue
Photography: Xiaoxier & Zuixue
Iceland—Among the Nordic countries, it's the one place where I could ski naturally but my snowboard had never touched. Not leaving any regrets was the motivation for this trip. Looking back now, I realize this island nation outside of mainland Europe is like a petite, exquisite beauty sitting quietly in the corner of a social gathering—her outward appearance stern, yet her inner world intensely alluring.
While other places are already bathed in the renewal of spring, Iceland remains blanketed in ice and snow. In Akureyri in the north during April, snow falls almost every night on the tundra. The flakes aren’t particularly sticky—they’re the kind that shimmer, known as "corn snow." Observed in the morning sunlight, different particles sparkle like sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and gold dust, giving off a magical sheen.
This is the tail end of the snow season in the high-latitude mountainous regions of the Earth—the snow god’s final gift to snow lovers. Skiing down from the peaks of the tundra toward the fjords on powder skis feels like gliding your fingers over smooth, pristine skin. Occasionally hiking through the mottled tundra, the earth suddenly erupts with bursts of hot air, as if trying to melt you. Throughout the valleys are hot springs and lakes of all sizes.
Lying in the embrace of milky-white lake water, man or woman feels like a deity.
Those who enjoy skiing trips often care a lot about local cuisine. Cold-water crayfish are a favorite among Icelanders, usually grilled with spices—the meat is tender and bouncy. As for this seafood that resembles a mantis shrimp, we prefer to boil it in plain water, peel it, and dip it in soy sauce for sashimi—it actually tastes even more natural that way. Icelandic sheep, raised freely on the wilderness plains, produce lamb that grows slowly and, in my memory, ranks among the best lamb dishes in the world—the meat is tender without any gaminess. Smoked raw lamb has a texture like salmon but isn’t greasy; lamb stewed with bay leaves and carrots has a sweet and mild flavor. A few sips of the hot broth drive out the cold accumulated on the tundra, soothing the stomach and leaving a lingering fragrance—absolutely delicious.
Staying at a Guesthouse family inn in Iceland gives you a sense of warm, big-family hospitality, like being at home anywhere in the world. A small building with several bedrooms, plus a living room, kitchen, and bedrooms—all facilities included. Guests from around the world chat casually over breakfast in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Icelanders generally speak English well, and hosts are willing to communicate with guests to offer travel tips. There’s plenty of local information that is concise and practical. If you want to visit somewhere, they’ll quickly look up the needed info online, print it out for you to take along; if you have further questions, they’ll call to ask for you and jot down the answers on a note to hand to you. It’s very thoughtful service. So, I believe that if you’re a backpacker traveling solo in Iceland, there’s no need to stay in a hotel room. It’s easy to search and book a Guesthouse hotel online in China—the prices are quite reasonable, about 722 RMB per room per day in Reykjavik; family guesthouses in Akureyri are even more affordable.
Iceland Spring Skiing Travel Guide:
1. Choosing a Ski Resort. Across Iceland’s five major tundra areas—east, west, south, north, and central—there are a dozen or so small and medium-sized ski resorts, all serving locals for winter and spring recreation and fitness. You won’t find many of the large international destination ski resorts that we typically imagine. A few mid-sized resorts have chairlifts and some surface tows, but most smaller resorts only have surface tows. Some resorts only have cross-country trails—that is, the kind of Nordic skiing where you trudge laboriously uphill with two sticks on hilly terrain—you’ll want to pay special attention to this when doing your online research before the trip. For those looking to ski in late spring and willing to splurge, destination choices should mainly consider latitude and elevation. Mountains around 65° north latitude and about 1,000 meters above sea level generally don’t disappoint in terms of upper slope snow depth and quality. Although weather forecasts might sometimes show rain in the area, don’t worry—that refers to the towns at the foot of the mountains. Rain down below often means snow up top, as temperature differences at altitude determine the form of precipitation.
2. Hlíðarfjall Ski Resort—The largest ski resort in Akureyri, the biggest town in northern Iceland. Located about 5 km north of the city outskirts, at 65°41'N latitude and 18°05'W longitude, on the edge of the Arctic Circle. The mountain’s peak, Búnninn, rises to 1,100 meters. A four-person high-speed chairlift and high-speed T-bar tow take you up to a loading station at 980 meters, with a maximum vertical drop of 480 meters. The total skiable area is 61.7 acres, with 14.9 km of machine-groomed runs—8% beginner, 34% beginner-intermediate, 51% intermediate, and 7% advanced. The longest single run is 2.3 km. Lifts include one four-person high-speed chair, four high-speed T-bars, and one magic carpet. Dining options: one at the base and one midway up. Accommodation: a small guesthouse with limited beds—better to stay in town for easier shopping and sightseeing. The resort’s biggest highlight: a machine-groomed run from the top of the T-bar tow station to the summit cleared by snowcats. Off-piste powder enthusiasts can skin up wearing AT boards, telemark gear, or even hike up with a snowboard—it takes about 20 minutes to reach the top. The summit opens up to vast, extremely steep slopes of deep powder, rarely tracked by others. Of course, avalanche risks do exist, varying by slope angle and sun exposure; warning signs illustrated clearly outside the mountaintop restaurant must be carefully read and remembered.
3. Sightseeing. Visiting Iceland just to ski and not sightsee is absolutely not worth it. The area between Akureyri and Húsavík boasts stunning scenery. Active volcanic lava landscapes, the land seemingly smoking everywhere, with streams, glacier waterfalls, and milky hot springs scattered all around. Out in the wilderness, humans feel like aliens visiting the moon or Mars, living in a dreamlike state all day. The Mývatn Nature Baths are world-famous—you simply must soak in them. On sunny days, you can book a boat trip during the day to go whale watching and see seabirds, then wake up in the middle of the night to head out to the countryside and watch the colorful Northern Lights dance. The chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis is higher in winter and spring, but be sure to avoid light pollution from nearby towns. The capital, Reykjavik, offers even more spectacular sights nearby—the world’s largest milky-white hot spring lake, the Blue Lagoon, is definitely worth a soak; Gullfoss Glacier Waterfall is awe-inspiring; and the Geysir geyser erupts dramatically, with a plume reaching over 20 meters, erupting regularly every two or three minutes with little wait.
4. Local Transportation. Westerners visiting Iceland often rent a car at the airport for flexible self-driving. Chinese travelers mostly join local DAY TOURS with English-speaking guides on buses—sleep on the bus, take photos on land, relaxed and convenient, no need to worry about the vehicle, just take care of yourself—haha. These tour packages can be booked easily at your accommodation or at the INFORMATION CENTER.
5. Flights. For our international flights on this skiing trip, we booked in advance through an online travel agency about a month prior—we got a sort of friend or skiing buddy rate. The itinerary was Beijing–Copenhagen–Reykjavik outbound, and Reykjavik–Oslo–Copenhagen–Beijing return, costing about 9,000 RMB in total. For domestic flights within Iceland, regional flights are similar to long-distance buses in China, with a flight every 90 minutes to various destinations. Booking online locally is cheaper—for example, Reykjavik–Akureyri costs about 782 RMB one-way.
6. Visa. We also entrusted the travel agency to handle this. Iceland’s visa is part of the Schengen Agreement and requires an in-person interview. The application materials’ itinerary plan needs to roughly outline the daily travel details and destinations. Results usually come within a week. Special reminder: within one week after returning to China, remember to bring your passport and all boarding passes to the Icelandic Embassy or Consulate in China for visa cancellation. Don’t forget this.
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