Icelandtrailteam | Thórsmörk Trail Volunteers

Jan 18

A day on the trails

We are reaching the final few weeks of applications for the 2024 Trailteams and places are filling up fast. It has been great to hear from many applicants from around the world and we are looking forward to meeting the teams in Thórsmörk this season.

Our teams are filling up quite quickly, so if you would like to join us on the trails in Thórsmörk and Goðaland this summer, don’t delay sending us your application. Placement information, dates and application forms.

We have added an Instagram reel to show what a day on the trails with our volunteers can look like. Here, our three-week team is spending an August day maintaining the trail leading to the Stangarháls view point. Follow the link below…

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chas Goemans (@langidalur_volunteer)

Dec 9

Long-term volunteer placements

Next summer we will be hosting long-term volunteers for 7-8 weeks at our Thórsmörk and Goðaland camps.

Our long-term volunteers work closely with their Forestry Service colleagues and are involved in all aspects of the Trailteam programme. This includes working on practical trail maintenance tasks in small groups as well taking on leadership responsibilities and supporting the 3 and 6-week volunteer teams.

Platform and box steps (Melissa Davies)

For this exciting challenge, we are looking for participants who have experience of working with teams, enjoy camping and spending time hiking in wild and remote areas. These placements are especially well suited to applicants who wish to gain experience of practical conservation work, trail maintenance and team leadership.

Full details about the long-term placements and our other volunteer opportunities can be found on our website. Applications for 2024 will open on December 15th.

Volunteer opportunities

Dec 6

Trailteam plans for 2024

December is a very busy month in the Trailteam office. Planning for our 2024 Trailteam season is now well underway and the search for volunteers for next year will soon begin.

As well as our 3 and 6-week projects, a limited number of longer placements will also be available. We are looking for participants who have some experience of camping and hill walking, enjoy wilderness landscapes and are ready for a challenge.

Kathryn Welch joined us for a 3-week volunteer placement last summer and wrote about her adventures with the volunteers in Thórsmörk… Kathryn’s blog

Applications for 2024 volunteer placements will open on December 15th.

Volunteer opportunities

Jan 26

Final call for volunteers for our 2023 Trailteams!

Applications for our Thórsmörk Trailteams will close next week as we are nearing the end of our search for international volunteers who will join us this summer. If you are still considering a 3 or 6-week volunteer placement this season, please do get in contact before January 31st.

No previous experience of trail construction work is necessary as practical training will be provided. We are looking for participants who have some experience of camping and hill walking, enjoy wilderness landscapes and are ready for a challenge. Iceland’s notoriously changeable weather means that our teams have to be well prepared with warm clothing, good waterproofs and sturdy tents. Due to the strenuous nature of our work, participants must be physically fit and as many of our work sites are in remote locations, we do a lot of hiking to get to them! Our team is chosen from applicants and there is no participation fee.

Full details about the placements including dates and application forms can be found on our website…
https://trailteam.is/opportunities/

Our Thórsmörk Trailteam applications close on Tuesday, January 31st and the remaining placements will be confirmed by February 15th.
Applications for our new long-term volunteer placements will remain open.

May 11

Back on the trails again

It is always exciting to get back on to the trails at the start of each season and see how our trail work looks after the winter. These early surveys help with planning for the season as we can prioritise damaged areas and also review the techniques that were used and see what has worked best.

Although the winter has had some impact on the network as it always does, the first trails and old worksites that we visited are looking quite good. There is still plenty of maintenance work for us to do however and we look forward to the arrival of our first volunteers and getting started on the practical tasks in about two weeks time.