The route is located in Rj\u00fapnahjalli<\/b>, at the outermost part of Brynjudalur<\/b>. Immediately after the bridge over the river Brynjudals\u00e1, park the car by a locked gate on the right side of the Hvalfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur road (47). From there, walk along the road and head toward the route whenever it seems suitable (see overview image). This will take about 25 minutes.<\/p>\n
Grading and Difficulty<\/h3>\n
The route is on the easier side. It consists of several steps\u2014particularly the first one\u2014which could be classified as slightly harder than WI3<\/b>. However, because these steps are short, we don\u2019t want to assign a higher grade. As always, the grade may increase slightly depending on the conditions at any given time.<\/p>\n
Pitch Breakdown<\/h3>\n
The route is climbed in two pitches<\/b>:<\/p>\n
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Pitch 1:<\/b> Starts with decent climbing that transitions into a scramble, eventually becoming an “ice walk” until reaching the ice sheet where the second pitch begins.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Pitch 2:<\/b> Climbed for about 30 meters before an anchor was made where the ice began to thin out.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Descent:<\/b> This setup works well because you can rappel most of the route with two 60-meter ropes. You then only need to scramble down the slope on the right side of the final step (where the climb began). In this context we are using “right” from the viewpoint of the descending party (skier’s right).<\/p>\n\n
The Story Behind the Climb<\/h3>\n
During the first ascent, this route was chosen because the weather in the southwest corner of Iceland was “sn\u00e6lduvitlaust” (totally insane). The climbers drove past two cars in Mosfellsb\u00e6r that had slid off the road in a whiteout blizzard. They didn\u2019t stop, however, as it was deemed absolutely essential to get a good climb in that day.<\/p>\n
Based on the wind direction, they calculated there would be shelter on the northern side of Brynjudalur, which proved to be exactly right. It was a lovely day in the valley while the gale-force winds battered everyone else. Consequently, the route was named Skj\u00f3l<\/b> (Shelter). Another reason for the climb was to add yet another route to Brynjudalur so that “Freysi” would have plenty to do in his quest to climb every route in the valley.<\/p>\n
FA:<\/b> Halld\u00f3r Fannar and \u00c1g\u00fast Kristj\u00e1n Steinarrsson, January 6, 2025.<\/p>\n
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