peter loeskow <peter_loeskow> writes:

During my first visit in May 2003, I caught a cold on the walk
home after a hot tub outdoor bath, which virtually ruined the rest of that week
for me. Not quite, though, because on the last day, we borrowed a car and drove
to Hafrafell, the home site of the Reykjavik area pilots, and my spirit was
lifted even though I had left my glider in Sweden. A hang glider pilot took us
up the back to the top in his big 4WD vehicle. I found the take of to be an
impressive work of landscaping in that barren desert. You can discern a distinct
green rectangle in my images from that day and year. Since then, I wanted to
return to Iceland and Hafrafell with my glider, but it took me until 2008.

That summer, a fellow paraglider pilot replied "Nobody goes up to that take
off", after I had mentioned my anticipation in an email conversation. I had
already understood in 2008 that I might be able to ascend the west facing slope
on foot and take off halfway up, but that this meticulously landscaped top take
off had fallen into utter disuse surprised me. This was not the only rather
saddening surprise - on the four days that I flew there, and contrary to 2008, I
saw not a single hang glider pilot! BTW, I did use the splendid upper take off
for my first flight, the lower one with the mat/net on my second day and
another, much lower one (still in it's natural state) on my third and forth
flying days.

On http://www.vimeo.com/8780426 you can see the lower take off with paraglider
pilots procrastinating on the ground cover and also the track leading up the
gentler eastern slope from Hafravatn to the hang glider take-off at the top.

http://www.vimeo.com/2790086 shows the same area, but on a cloudless day and
with the video severely compressed.

Hafrafell can be accessed conveniently from Iceland's capital Reykjavik (a
paraglider pilot might even get near enough by bus), and Reykjavik can be
conveniently and inexpensively reached by flying Iceland Express. Thanks to this
low-fare competition, even Icelandair had to reduce their prices, which in
monopoly times were as much to Reykjavik as to New York.

From the point of view of a foreigner, pricing had been exorbitant in the past
heydays of Iceland, for instance a pizza cost much more than even in Norway.
Now, after the crash, the ISK is no longer overpriced, so the summer of 2010 may
be an unprecedented opportunity for a flying holyday on Iceland. You won't be
able to eat a Big Mac, though, because all three MacDonald's had to go out of
business. As for myself, I intend to return in 2010 and fly not only at
Hafrafell, but also near the more inviting south coast.

Iceland offers innumerable "virgin" take-offs and as many large level landing
fields. If you live in Europe and have enough vacation time, an SUV and someone
to split the bill with, taking that SUV on the ferry from Denmark to Iceland
http://www.smyril-line.com
may be preferable to travelling by airplane. Next month, I intend to make and
upload a short video from Iceland, with the main purpose of also adding sample
images of Icelandic scenery, which I hope will be titillating to the pilot
viewer.

In the meantime, I would like you to not discount the possibility of 2010
vacation on Iceland - a place with lots of daylight hours (I didn't write
sunshine!) Yet without the disadvantages of oppressive heat and blood-sucking
flies and mosquitoes you'll find elsewhere.