The Steingrímsfjörður heath is the most common driving route for travelers to Ísafjörður. It lies between Steingrímsfjörður and Ísafjörður, a well-traveled mountain route between regions in previous centuries. According to folklore, the ogress Kleppa cleared a path across the heath with her horse Flóki in ages past; the modern road opened in 1984.

The photo was taken the day before the annual ski race Fossavatnsgangan. It is illustrative of the grandiose welcome nature gives to travelers when they arrive on the high moor and can admire Ísafjarðardjúp ahead, with its ragged fjords on the left and the snow-covered coast Snæfjallaströnd on the right.

Fossavatnsgangan in Ísafjörður is the oldest and most popular cross-country ski race in Iceland, initially held in 1935.

Photographer:

Hermann Þór Snorrason, born 1973 in the town of Ísafjörður