As we grow up, gathering family members for group trips becomes harder and harder. Everyone has conflicting work schedules and most of us are always on the move. My family has created a seasonal lifestyle, catering to our skiing habits. This season, we, the Peterson family, pulled off multiple trips together. Not everyone could attend every trip, though I’d say this was a successful winter of family activities.
We finished off our winter season with a last-minute sail to ski trip in the East Fjords of Iceland. We’ve always talked of and began to plan trips to this magnificent place, but the stars hadn’t aligned, until this year. So off we went!
we were skiing within an hour of boarding our homebase, sailing ship Byr. The conditions during our trip were fantastic. It easily stacks up to one of the most established corn cycles I’ve experienced. Because of this, we were able to get high and ski some rad lines.
We used that as an opportunity to set sail north to the next fjord, Mjóifjör∂ur. I had never been on a sailboat before this trip, and either had half of our crew. The husband/wife team aboard Byr taught us to raise, lower and jibe the sails. We were all ears when it came to learning the techniques and terminology that is very different than our commercial fishing operation we run during the summers.
We tagged some couloirs, some aprons, some ribbons of snow and a lot of rocks. Most of the lines ended in snow swathe slaloms mirroring gushing waterfalls. A highlight of this leg of the trip was getting Annukka, the female counterpart of Byr, out with us for her first couloir ski. It’s safe to say she wanted more after the first run. Each ski was filled with adrenaline, giggles, snacks and teamwork.
Siggi, the male counterpart of Byr, pitched the idea of doing a traverse, fjord to fjord. We poured over what maps were available and found a path that looked passable, enough… There were options and we had a great group dynamic, so we started planning. The next morning, we divvied out rescue equipment, packed extra water and snacks and left the long johns at home. It was going to be a hot day. Once we started up the south side of Mjóifjöd∂ur the sailing ship Byr picked its anchor and headed east around the horn to the next fjord, our traverse destination.
The skin track provided a couple blisters, some wipeouts and conversation about how/where we were going to descend. We aimed towards a prominent knob to get a vantage point. And it did just that. We got eyes on a sneak through the cliff band we noticed on our maps. Transition, snack, ski. The snow down was smooth like butter, a supportive base with a peeling layer of corn. We wiggled our way through rocks and grass while hooting and hollering. A town came into view, Seydisfjordur. That is where we need to end up. Navigating patches of snow and bush through the lower elevation slopes, we talked about the uniqueness of entering a new-to-us town via skis. It is not every day you get a perspective like that.
A trip like this was long anticipated. I am beyond grateful that I continue to experience these adventures with the people closest to my heart, my family.
Click the thumbnail below to watch the KAVU Days video from the trip.
Words by Dylan Peterson
Photos by Ben VandenBos, McKenna Peterson, Dylan Peterson and Tate Berry
Thank you Captain Sigurđur Jónsson (Siggi), Annukka Pekkarinen & Napaland Expeditions
For more info about about Iceland sailing adventures check out Napaland Expeditions or follow @visitnapaland on the gram.
© 2026 KAVU
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