Elín G. Gunnlaugsdóttir became the first person to paraglide from Snaefellsjökull glacier in west Iceland down to level ground on June 6. She jumped at a height of 1,400 meters, almost at the peak, and it took between ten and 15 minutes to reach the ground.
Snaefellsjökull. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
“I went up there last weekend with absolute uncertainty, and was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get airborne because one can face all sorts of weather conditions up there,” Gunnlaugsdóttir told Morgunbladid.
According to Gunnlaugsdóttir, she is the first person to paraglide down from Snaefellsjökull; she hasn’t heard of anyone who has glided down from the glacier on a motorless vehicle before.
Gunnlaugsdóttir enjoyed the assistance of a stranger on a snowmobile to get up the glacier. The snowmobiler and his traveling companions then watched her jump. “And I still haven’t landed,” she laughed, explaining that she had dreamt about this moment for a long time.
The paraglider thought it was fitting that she would be the first to have this experience because she was born and raised at Hellnar, a community at the base of the glacier. Gunnlaugsdóttir has been involved with the sport for many years and has paraglided around the world.
