Skiing
Iceland has a wide choice of downhill ski resorts and also offers extensive cross-country skiing with hundreds of kilometres of prepared trails. In recent years the snow record has been mixed but the ski resorts in the north enjoy excellent winter skiing conditions.
Icelanders are friendly and speak excellent English, the environment is safe and children are positively welcomed. The standards of service, accommodation and equipment are also superb. With parts of the country covered in snow for more than half the year, skiing is a way of life in Iceland as much as a sport. The effect of the Gulf Stream means that Iceland's climate is milder than in similar latitudes elsewhere. The cold air in winter is crisp and dry and the sky is often clear blue.
The main skiing resorts are the Bláfjöll and Skálafell slopes near Reykjavík, together with the mountains beside Akureyri, Dalvík, Siglufjörður and Ólafsfjörður in the north, Ísafjörður in the West Fjords and Oddskarð in the East. A summer skiing school operates at Kerlingafjöll mountains in the interior and skiing is possible on some glaciers although conditions should be checked out locally before setting off. Ski equipment can be rented at resorts.