Solheimajokull with Ice Axes and Helmets: Geology, Volcanoes and Climate

A moderately challenging walk on Sólheimajökull, with the equipment that suggests: crampons, a helmet and an ice axe, all provided. The guides are certified, and what they cover goes beyond where to put your feet. Three subjects run through the day: the geology of the glacier, the volcanic activity underneath this part of Iceland, and climate change, which on a glacier is not an abstraction but the thing you are standing on. What gets explored: ice formations, deep crevasses, and the blue ridges the ice has been carving for centuries. Anyone in good health can do it, and no previous glacier experience is needed. Groups are kept small. Getting there: from the Ring Road, Route 1, turn onto Road 221, Sólheimajökulsvegur, which is signed and sits between Skógar and Vík. Drive to the end of it. There is one building there, marked with the Icelandic Mountain Guides logo, and that is the meeting point.