The first Iceland Trophy - a great success

It was a cherish group of people that celebrated the great success of the first Iceland Winter Trophy at the coastal lobster restaurant “Vid Fjorubordid” on Tuesday the 3rd of March.

There was a reason enough after 5 days of self-drive traveling in the interior of Iceland under toughest conditions of snow on the Glacier Langjökull -tyre pressure down to 2,5 PSI (0.18 bar)- but also enjoying the most relaxing conditions of the various geothermal pools. From the whitest snow of the glaciers to the blackest sands on the shore –the whole spectrum of Iceland was covered.

For this unique travel there were 6 modified U-Drive Defenders from the 4x4 rental company ISAK delivered to the participants, who drove in couples in each vehicle, some being Land Rover owner at home, but some even without real skills of 4x4 driving. It took a while for the most of the people to realize, that in snowy conditions you sometimes have to release the gas pedal and use the lowest speed and the smallest torque to manage through in the snow, but sometimes it’s the question of 6th gear “lo” and full speed & power. And in some cases it’s even the “Rythm of the Rocking” that gives the best results. Actually this was nothing but a driving school by new conditions.

The participants of the Iceland Trophy 2009 –Winter Edition- came from Switzerland, Holland, Germany and Great Britain. The brothers Ingi and Jon Baldur led the group on this journey of feeling-free-travel in the untouched snowy landscape, Ingi with his huge experience of traveling the interior of Iceland by any kind of weather, and Jon Baldur on behalf of Isafold Travel, with over 25 years of experience of guiding tour groups all over Iceland.

Link to the Picasa pictures of Irma de Bruijn.

Link to the Picasa pictures of Jan Willem Slief.

From Jan Willem:

"Dear ISAKs, Jón and Ingi, Thank you all for the fantastic experience, it is difficult to find the right words to describe just how great these 5 days have been!!!! It was the perfect combination of the very pure nature of Iceland, the breath taking scenery along the track, all the various weather circumstances, the fun of driving these "super" landrovers and last but not least the warm group of people that formed our little convoy! Of course we could not have enjoyed all this without having two brilliant guides like Jón and Ingi, showing us the most beautiful spots of Iceland, allowing a lot of fun while ensuring our safety and even taking care of us of both great food (the lamb was just perfect), some beers after a long hike (aaahhhhhhhh), and all the entertainment in the evening (as an Icelandic cowboy). This trip is something I will never forget, apart from all the pictures I have a great "mental" movie stored in my brain, that I will replay many times......"