Albert Leichtfried and Benedikt Purner discover new ice climbs in Iceland

Iceland, the island of volcanoes, geysers, glaciers and polar cold, was the chosen destination of Austrian alpinists Albert Leichtfried and Benedikt Purner last February. The duo had visited the island for the first time in 2007 together with Ines Papert and Audrey Gariepy, and this year they were lucky once again: after fearing the most in January due to warm weather, temperatures dropped significantly in February enabling a series of new routes to be established.

Leichtfried and Purner got the ball rolling by taking part in the ice climbing festival at Kaldakinn, an area in the island’s north, circa 600km from Reykjavik. In 2007 they managed to put up a couple of new routes on this magnificent sea cliff and once again they delivered the goods. A few days later they travelled east, then south, in search of new ice but due to rain they were unable to climb as much as they had hoped.

At Austurárdalur, a valley in the Westfjords, they happened to be in the right place at the right time: a drip had formed for the first time in 10 years. Encouraged by the local climbers, the two mountain guides proceeded to make the first ascent of the delicate Töll leikhús which, graded WI7-, is now the hardest ice climb in the country. They concluded their 300km trip in style the next day with the first ascent a new ice and mixed climb at Bolakletur, an area which has seen significant new routing in recent times.

For further info: www.isalp.is/en/category/crag

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21/03/2007 - Iceland ice climbing expedition report
At the end of February Albert Leichtfried, Markus Bendler, Ines Papert and Audrey Gariepy travelled to Iceland to explore its potential in memory of their friend Harald Berger who died tragically in December 2006.