No warnings issued for summer ice cave visits in Vatnajökull National Park, says volcanology expert

There were no warnings regarding summer visits to ice caves in a 2017 report by scientists, according to a former chairperson of Vatnajökull National Park. Ármann Höskuldsson, an expert in volcanology, noted that the report did not consider summer excursions to be a risk as the idea had not been entertained at that time.

He emphasized that locals have always viewed ice cave visits as winter activities, and the report specifically did not address summer trips or mention any risks associated with them. It was simply inconceivable at the time to plan such excursions during the warmer months.

In 2017, the Vatnajökull National Park board received a risk assessment and recommendations for regulations pertaining to ice cave tours. However, summer trips are not mentioned. At the time, it was deemed necessary to establish rules for organized ice cave tours, which operators would need to follow.

Höskuldsson, who chaired the board until 2018, remarked that the report is often referenced as a cautionary document but fails to address the dangers of summer tours, which only began recently, seven years later. Reading the report, it is easy to conclude that summer excursions could be more hazardous than winter trips. The report suggested methods for assessing safety to determine whether caves should be closed to visitors, yet Höskuldsson argues it is insufficient since current conditions are not being examined.

He added that discussions exclusively focus on winter trips, which typically happen from October to April. If summer activities were considered, a separate assessment would have been necessary.