Ski touring in Iceland: the drop, the skins, and summits that run out into the sea
You know the moment. The pack is buckled up, the skins are on, and the track sets off ahead of you through untouched snow. Here, that moment starts on a ridge, with the fjord far below. The helicopter has just set you down. It lifts off. And the mountain is yours, on skins, all the way to the summit.
This is our heli-assisted ski touring week on Tröllaskagi, the Troll Peninsula, in the north of Iceland. It is built for one kind of skier: the ski tourer who loves the climb as much as the descent, and who wants to ski mountains that finish in the sea.
One drop in the morning, then the skins
One helicopter drop is included on every ski day, with more available as an option, subject to seat availability. What the helicopter gives you is the starting point: a ridge no chairlift will ever reach, chosen that same morning by the professionals according to the day's snow.
After that, it's your touring day. Climbs on skins of over 800 metres, at your own pace, reading the snowpack as you go, then a descent towards the sea through untracked snow. The helicopter gives you the summit; the skin track makes the week. If you love that hour when the group goes quiet and the track climbs steadily, this week is yours.
Summits that plunge into the fjord
Here the mountains run straight down into the ocean. Their long shoulders above the fjord, their spring light: all of it is in ski touring on the Troll Peninsula, from summit to ocean. To place Akureyri and the Eyjafjörður on the map, see the North Iceland tourist board.
The window runs from March to April, as the days stretch out. To pick your moment, there is when to ski Tröllaskagi.
A touring pace, four to a professional
Four to five skiers per group, one mountain professional for every four skiers, two groups at most on the week: for a ski tourer, that means a pace you set together, and time to look at the snow. The valley stays quiet.
The professionals are qualified ski instructors specialising in off-piste, heliskiing and ski touring, or mountain guides, depending on the terrain. The Icelandic avalanche bulletin is published by Veðurstofa Íslands.
In the evening, our lodge on the shore, its chef, its sauna, its hot tub. The transfer from Akureyri airport is included — three quarters of an hour by minibus towards Dalvík, and the drive north from Akureyri to the first slopes is worth staying awake for. Seven days, six nights, six days of skiing, from €7,500 per person, flights not included; the line-by-line detail is in what the heli-assisted ski touring week contains, and the itinerary on the Iceland heli-assisted ski touring week page.
The level you need
A good off-piste skier who has already spent time with skins underfoot: 3 out of 5 for ability, 3 out of 5 for fitness, with climbs of over 800 metres in a day. Nothing out of reach for anyone who regularly skis off the pistes and already gets out touring in winter. If you're not sure where you stand, just tell us what you ski at home: that is the best way to find out.
The questions that come up before anyone commits
Do I need to have heliskied before?
No. What you need is to have ski toured before. The helicopter sets you down in the morning; then it's skins the rest of the way.
How much climbing in a day?
Over 800 metres of vertical on skins, after the morning drop. The pace is set with the group and the professional who leads you.
When does the week run?
March to April. The 2027 departure dates aren't confirmed yet — write to us and we'll tell you the open slots on the heli-assisted ski touring week.
Come and ski Iceland on skins
Tell us your level, who's coming and which dates suit you between March and April 2027 — we'll tell you what's still open.
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