Two hikers bit off more than they could chew on Sunday, requesting rescue after they had managed to climb high into the steep mountainside of Heiðarhorn peak, the tallest point of Skarðsheiði mountain in West Iceland. The hikers were not equipped for the hike, but managed to get too high in the mountain to safely return down. They were stuck in cliffs where they were unable to move either forward or back.
The men were not injured and did not need medical assistance. They were safely down from the mountain shortly before seven yesterday evening. The nationality or age of the hikers has not been made public.
Major operation to rescue poorly prepared hikers
According to the local news site Vísir 26 members of ICE-SAR companies from towns and villages in West Iceland participated in the rescue operation. Getting to the place where the men were was difficult due to both conditions in the mountain and the weather. The rescuers therefore split the operation in four, attempting to approach the men from four different directions, using snowmobiles, ATVs and especially equipped mountain trucks as well as on foot.
They were not equipped to deal with the conditions Þór Þorsteinsson, who was in charge of the rescue told local newspaper Morgunblaðið. The cliffs where the men had gotten themselves into trouble were very steep and covered in ice. The men were not equipped for hiking or climbing in icy conditions, nor did they have any other mountaineering equipment necessary for climbing mountains at this time of year.
Difficult conditions
The men requested assistance in the afternoon, and the first rescuers arrived to help the men down shortly after five. The weather near the coast in West Iceland was relatively mild yesterday, perfect for sightseeing. However, at higher altitudes the weather was less ideal for hiking, with significant frost and wind.
Conditions in the mountain were extremely challenging according to ICE-SAR, ice and hard frozen snow, frost and a bitter windchill.
Two hikers bit off more than they could chew on Sunday, requesting rescue after they had managed to climb high into the steep mountainside of Heiðarhorn peak, the tallest point of Skarðsheiði mountain in West Iceland. The hikers were not equipped for the hike, but managed to get too high in the mountain to safely return down. They were stuck in cliffs where they were unable to move either forward or back.
The men were not injured and did not need medical assistance. They were safely down from the mountain shortly before seven yesterday evening. The nationality or age of the hikers has not been made public.
Major operation to rescue poorly prepared hikers
According to the local news site Vísir 26 members of ICE-SAR companies from towns and villages in West Iceland participated in the rescue operation. Getting to the place where the men were was difficult due to both conditions in the mountain and the weather. The rescuers therefore split the operation in four, attempting to approach the men from four different directions, using snowmobiles, ATVs and especially equipped mountain trucks as well as on foot.
They were not equipped to deal with the conditions Þór Þorsteinsson, who was in charge of the rescue told local newspaper Morgunblaðið. The cliffs where the men had gotten themselves into trouble were very steep and covered in ice. The men were not equipped for hiking or climbing in icy conditions, nor did they have any other mountaineering equipment necessary for climbing mountains at this time of year.
Difficult conditions
The men requested assistance in the afternoon, and the first rescuers arrived to help the men down shortly after five. The weather near the coast in West Iceland was relatively mild yesterday, perfect for sightseeing. However, at higher altitudes the weather was less ideal for hiking, with significant frost and wind.
Conditions in the mountain were extremely challenging according to ICE-SAR, ice and hard frozen snow, frost and a bitter windchill.
