Mount Esja has claimed the most amount of lives of all Icelandic mountains
Mount Esja in its winter coat can be very dangerous. mbl.is/Árni Sæberg
Esjan, the beautiful mountain opposite Reykjavik is a popular spot for hiking but it's also a treacherous one when the weather conditions change. Today, three new information signs will be inaugurated at Mount Esja to help prevent accidents in the mountain.
In an announcement from Landsbjörg search and rescue team it states that Esja is a popular area for outdoor recreation but that many people underestimate the mountain's dangers during winter. "People are used to hike or jog up the mountain in the summer but when winter arrives the conditions change severely. It becomes a mountain where you need avalanche equipment, ice picks and spiked mountaineering boots if you are going further up than just the lowest part."
Esja is the mountain that has claimed the most lives of any mountain in Iceland and only last year a teenage boy died there.
The information signs will give good advice on safe climbing in the mountain and what to consider depending on the season.
