Grafarfoss WI 4+

Leiðir

Grafarfoss is a wide waterfall under Kistufell in Esja. Multliple variations have been climbed but none of them have been given names and they are therefore not considered separate routes.

Park near the farm Kistufell (see map) and walk from there. The approach is normally 20-30 minutes. Note that the roads can be tricky after heavy snowfall.

The variations of Grafarfoss are all in the range WI4-WI5 and the difficulty depends on the exact route chosen and ice conditions for that day. The waterfall partially faces south and gets significant sun as the days get longer. The ice can therefore become sunbaked and tricky to protect in places.  The waterfall is usually a bit wet in the middle and due to sun it is common to encounter dripping water in the upper section.

The original route is furthest to the right in the dihedral between the ice and the rock (number 1 on the topo). This variation is usually WI4 and around 65 m long. In general the waterfall is steeper in the middle and the variations 2-5 are therefore harder. A small but cozy cave is often used as the base for the second pitch in variations 2 to 4.  For those who want to spend maximum time on the ice then variation 6 is selected and the degree of difficulty can be dialed up or down.

A bolted rappel anchor can be found in the rock above the waterfall. It is marked on the topo with the letter A. To reach all the way down two 70m ropes are recommended but most of the time it’s possible to reach the snowline and escape the ice with two 60m ropes and maximum rope stretch.  The gully collects a lot of snow which causes difficulty when postholing towards the waterfall but is quite helpful when rappelling down on 60m ropes.

FA: Björn Vilhjálmsson og Einar Steingrímsson, 20th Dec 1980.

Crag Esja
Sector Grafarfoss
Type Ice Climbing
Markings

Video

2 related routes

Granni WI 3

Leið númer 53/55 á mynd

Leiðin er beint á móti Grafarfossi sjálfum en nær að fá aðeins minni sól þar sem að hann snýr betur.

Flestir láta sé nægja að klifra bara fossinn sjálfan sem sést á myndinni en einnig er hægt að elta gilið sem klifrað er upp í. Viðtekur að mestu snjóklifurleið með stöku íshöftum

WI 2/3, 650 m ef farið er alla leið.

FF: Jón Geirsson og Snævarr Guðmundsson, 06.03 1983

Grafarfoss WI 4+

Grafarfoss is a wide waterfall under Kistufell in Esja. Multliple variations have been climbed but none of them have been given names and they are therefore not considered separate routes.

Park near the farm Kistufell (see map) and walk from there. The approach is normally 20-30 minutes. Note that the roads can be tricky after heavy snowfall.

The variations of Grafarfoss are all in the range WI4-WI5 and the difficulty depends on the exact route chosen and ice conditions for that day. The waterfall partially faces south and gets significant sun as the days get longer. The ice can therefore become sunbaked and tricky to protect in places.  The waterfall is usually a bit wet in the middle and due to sun it is common to encounter dripping water in the upper section.

The original route is furthest to the right in the dihedral between the ice and the rock (number 1 on the topo). This variation is usually WI4 and around 65 m long. In general the waterfall is steeper in the middle and the variations 2-5 are therefore harder. A small but cozy cave is often used as the base for the second pitch in variations 2 to 4.  For those who want to spend maximum time on the ice then variation 6 is selected and the degree of difficulty can be dialed up or down.

A bolted rappel anchor can be found in the rock above the waterfall. It is marked on the topo with the letter A. To reach all the way down two 70m ropes are recommended but most of the time it’s possible to reach the snowline and escape the ice with two 60m ropes and maximum rope stretch.  The gully collects a lot of snow which causes difficulty when postholing towards the waterfall but is quite helpful when rappelling down on 60m ropes.

FA: Björn Vilhjálmsson og Einar Steingrímsson, 20th Dec 1980.

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