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Sierra Blair Coyle Iceland Bouldering

After the 2015 Bouldering World Cup season I decided to take a trip to somewhere new, somewhere I had never been before: Iceland.

I only spent five days during that travel but I definitely left a part of my soul and heart there and I knew I had to go back someday to experience the outdoor climbing that the island had to offer and that I had missed my first time there. Almost three years later, in June 2018, I went back in that amazing country. It was time to experience more of the magic that makes that land so special. My itinerary was slightly different this time and that helped me fall in love even more with this breathtaking country. Our accommodation in Höfn, a tiny eastern town of 2,000 people near the climbing areas of Vestrahorn and Hnappavellir, was a small cabin on an isolated farm where we immediately felt at home thanks to Icelanders’ great hospitality.

Our first destination was the breathtaking Vestrahorn. Set on the seaside, fields of boulders lay below the larger mountains where the area takes its name from. Waves crash against the rocks and wind whips delicately or violently depending on the weather of the day. The rock is sharp and unforgiving, much like the surrounding conditions when they are at their worst. But the climbing there has been incredible. It is an amazing country that has a lot to offer.

Our second day in the land of ice was a rest day, it was too windy to climb.
In the evening the wind cleared to make way for heavy rain. Despite the bad weather conditions we still wanted to try and get at least some bouldering in, so we drove to Fallsjökull (outlet glacier of Vatnajökull). That turned out to be one of our best ideas so far because we were tremendously rewarded by the midnight sun and a soft pink and orange sky that was set beautifully behind a small glacier. The wind slightly calmed down the following day so we decided to make the trip back to Vestrahorn again and we managed to work on some good boulders and enjoyed a beautiful day out in nature.

The next days we tried to find new places. We visited Hnappavellir, a climbing and bouldering area, an amazing band of rock very different from Vestrahorn.

We loved that magic place with the sea in the distance where you can see sheep everywhere. Unfortunately the next day it rained again. Conditions looked grim, but we waited until the rain stopped and eventually found the time for a quick afternoon session. This was only a piece of my trip to Iceland because after that we spent a few days sightseeing and climbing at Klifurhúsið (the gym in Reykjavik) and in some other spots.

“That island has truly become my favorite place in the world for so many reasons. From the climbing to the landscapes to the incredible people, a part of my heart will forever be there.”

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