Hlíðarfjall rises above Akureyri in north Iceland, the country's premier ski area and a place where you can carve turns with a fjord glittering below.
- 478 m Base
- 943 m Top lift
- 465 m Vertical
- 13 Pistes mapped
- 7 Lifts
Best known for
Après & vibe
Après is low-key on the hill, but Akureyri's cafés, pools and bars are a short drive down the valley.
The resort
Hlíðarfjall is Iceland's largest and best-loved ski centre, tucked into the mountainside just above the northern town of Akureyri. It is an honest, community-run hill rather than a glossy resort: a cluster of lifts, a warming café and wide, treeless pistes that spill towards views of the Eyjafjörður fjord. The terrain suits families and confident intermediates best, with gentle learner ground and a few steeper faces for stronger skiers. Being so far north, its season runs deep into spring, and the sub-Arctic setting brings the genuine chance of skiing under the northern lights or the low, golden light of long April afternoons. Weather is the wild card here, and high winds can close lifts, but on a clear day the setting is hard to beat.
Snow & weather
Live conditions from the mountain, plus the average snow you can expect month by month.
- Feels like
- —
- Conditions
- —
- Wind
- —
- Fresh snow (3-day)
- —
Live data © Open-Meteo.com
Reliable through a long winter-to-spring season thanks to its high-latitude Arctic position, though snow is wind-affected and the treeless slopes can be exposed.
Average monthly snowfall
Snowfall climatology unavailable.
Terrain & aspect
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Slopes mostly face E — 61% on snow-holding, poleward-facing slopes.
Aspect derived from run bearings · OpenSkiStats / © OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Skiing & terrain
Gentle nursery slopes near the base make it an easy place to learn.
Broad, rolling blue and red pistes are the heart of the mountain.
A handful of steeper pitches and off-piste lines reward stronger skiers.
Limited lift-served challenge, but ski-touring terrain fans out from the top.
Skiing under the aurora
Floodlit evening sessions and the high-latitude sky mean clear nights can pair turns with the northern lights.
AK Extreme
Akureyri's freeski and snowboard festival brings a burst of big-air energy and music to the mountain each spring.
On the map
Legend
Run difficulty
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced / Expert
- Freeride / Extreme
- Unknown
Run types
- Downhill — groomed
- Downhill — ungroomed
- Downhill — gladed
- Nordic (groomed)
- Ski tour
- ☾Lit (night)
- △Not patrolled
- →One-way
- ❄Snowmaking
Lifts
- Operating
- Operating (private)
- Non-operating
- Lift station
Slope-gradient grading
Downhill / ski tour
- Flat<3°
- Easy3–14°
- Intermediate14–22°
- Advanced / Expert22–45°
- Freeride / Extreme>45°
Nordic
- Easy<6°
- Intermediate6–9°
- Advanced>9°
Aspect (sun exposure)
- N — least sun
- E — morning
- S — most sun
- W — afternoon
Legend after OpenSkiMap
Stay in Hlíðarfjall
Most visitors base themselves in Akureyri itself, a lively fjord-side town with hotels, guesthouses and geothermal pools minutes from the slopes.
Lifts and pistes from the door — the point of a high, purpose-built resort.
Self-catering residences, the bulk of the beds and the flexible-budget option.
Catered and self-catered chalets for groups wanting the whole place.
From simple to high-end, with pools and spas to thaw out in.
How to get there
Akureyri Airport (AEY) sits right below the resort with domestic flights from Reykjavík; international arrivals come through Keflavík (KEF) near Reykjavík, then a short hop or a scenic drive north.
From central Akureyri the mountain road climbs to the base in well under fifteen minutes by car.
Best time: January through April, with the long, bright days of March and April offering the best mix of snow and light.
Nearby resorts
Other resorts within reach.
Faces north-west © Kevin Hadley / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Tindaöxl – Ólafsfjörður
- Vertical
- 155 m
- Lifts
- 1
Tindastóll
- Vertical
- 222 m
- Lifts
- 3
Faces south-east © Sveinn Birkir Björnsson sveinnbirkir / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) Stafdalur
- Vertical
- 355 m
- Lifts
- 3
Faces west © Lala Lugo / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) Oddsskarð
- Vertical
- 328 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 14
- Lifts
- 3
Getting to Hlíðarfjall
Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at RKV — search and compare without leaving the page.
Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. Editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.