Yes, you can ski in Iceland, right down to the sea

Can you ski in Iceland? Yes, and not only at the country's small ski areas. The skiing that draws people from all over the world is on Tröllaskagi, the Troll Peninsula north of Akureyri, where the summits fall to the sea and a good line can finish on the shore.

The peninsula north of Akureyri

Iceland has its ski areas, small ones with lifts and pistes. Our trips don't use them and we don't write about them, so we'll leave the verdicts to people who do. Our ground is up in the north, on a peninsula where the mountains run right out to the coast and, from the ridges, the sea is never far away.

We reach that ground by helicopter. On five mornings, days 2 to 6, it sets the group down high on a ridge, everyone crouched beside their kit until it lifts off, and soon the rotor noise has faded out over the fjord. What's left is the wind, four or five skiers, their leader, and the sea on the horizon.

All five drops are included in the price, and each one puts us straight onto the high ground, fresh, with the whole day still ahead.

From the ridge onwards, the day belongs to the skins.

Four skiers set off along the ridge as the helicopter pulls away.

Skins on, fjord below

With the helicopter gone, skins go on, heels click free, and our leader heads off up the first slope. Depending on the zone, the days run to between 400 and 800 metres of vertical.

This is the unhurried part of the day. Kick turns up a shoulder, the fjord opening out a little more behind you with each one, the group strung out along the track and nobody much inclined to talk.

Which zone we ski is the leader's call, made each morning on the strength of the snowpack and the weather. Some mornings that call is a different zone; now and then it is to turn back, which is exactly what you want from the person making it. The Icelandic Met Office's avalanche bulletins are public and worth a look before you travel, and Safetravel covers staying safe in Iceland more broadly.

We've written up a whole day of this, from the drop to the last turn, in our account of a day on the Troll Peninsula, drop and skins. At the top, the skins come off.

Skinning in full sun, the leader grinning, the fjord and the mountains at the group's backs.

Lines that finish at the sea

Skins stowed, boots locked, and the view that sat behind you all the way up is now straight in front: the slope, the fall line, and the sea at the bottom of it. There's no car park at the end of these runs, and no lift station. On the right day the line simply keeps going, down towards the shore, until there is no more mountain left to ski.

This is what brings skiers to the peninsula from abroad, and it's why we wrote our longer guide to heli-assisted ski touring on the Troll Peninsula, which goes deeper into the terrain.

Not every run ends on the shore, and we won't pretend otherwise; the zone, the snow and the aspect decide. When one does, the group stands at the bottom with skis still on, looking back up at a set of tracks that start at a summit and stop at the sea.

Whether you get that day depends on two things: the time of year, and the level you bring.

A skier in pink on a steep pitch, the sun catching the sea below.

March to June, and the level it takes

We run the trip from March to June. It is rated level 3 out of 5, which in practice means being at ease skiing off-piste in varied snow and comfortable on skins, day after day. This isn't the place to try off-piste for the first time, and we'd rather say so here than on the ridge.

Groups are four or five skiers, two groups at most, each with its own mountain professional, a qualified off-piste ski instructor or an IFMGA/UIAGM mountain guide, depending on the terrain. Small numbers let the leader move the group quickly when the snow changes, and nobody stands about for long at a transition.

At the end of each day, both groups come back to the same house.

Spring on the peninsula: snow on the tops, the valley floor already bare, four smiles on the summit.

A lodge near Dalvík, and the shape of the week

The lodge near Dalvík, 45 minutes from Akureyri, is kept for our group alone all week. Twin rooms, a chef cooking for the house, a sauna and a hot tub for when the skis come off.

The week runs like this. On day 1 you land in Akureyri, where we meet you off the plane. Days 2 to 6 are heli-assisted ski touring on Tröllaskagi. Day 7 is a last day of ski touring, without the helicopter, then the transfer back to Akureyri airport. That's six days on skis out of seven, for €7,500 per person.

Flights into Akureyri connect via Reykjavík or Copenhagen, and a direct London–Akureyri flight is possible too. A whale-watching trip by boat can be added as an option.

A few questions always come up at this point.

What people ask us before they come

Is there an Iceland ski resort worth travelling for?

Iceland has small ski areas, but we don't cover them, so we won't rate them. What brings skiers from abroad is the off-piste on the Troll Peninsula, north of Akureyri, with a helicopter drop on each of days 2 to 6 and the rest of it on skins.

Is this heliskiing?

Not quite. It's heli-assisted ski touring: a helicopter drop on each of days 2 to 6 to reach the high ground, then the day on skins, and a final day on skins without the helicopter, with between 400 and 800 metres of vertical depending on the zone.

Can you ski in Iceland in May or June?

Yes. Our season on Tröllaskagi runs from March to June, and each day our leader chooses where to ski based on the snowpack and the weather.

How do I get to Akureyri?

Fly via Reykjavík or Copenhagen; a direct London–Akureyri flight is also possible. We meet you at Akureyri airport on day 1, and the lodge near Dalvík is 45 minutes from Akureyri.

If you'd like to ski Iceland this way, the dates and the full programme are on the trip page. With two groups at most there aren't many places, so ask us early and we'll hold an option while you decide.