Jökull Bergmann (pronounced “Yekutl”), 35, mountain and ski guide was born and raised in Skiðadalur (Ski Valley), a wild valley within the Giant’s Peninsula, in Iceland’s far north. His fiercely independent nature can be traced to his name: Jökull (Glacier) and Bergmann (Mountain-man). The climber of many first ascents in Iceland, he has traveled extensively in South America, Africa and USA and spent several winters in Chamonix. Four years ago he completed his formation in the Canadian rockies and is today Iceland's first and only IFMGA Intertionally certified mountain guide in our country. If Back-country ski touring, Telemark or Arctic Heli Skiing is what you are looking for, do not hesitate contacting him:  info@bergmenn.com and go visit his site http://www.bergmenn.com

Anita Jónsdóttir, 25, is the youngest daughter of our dear old friends Nicole Chéné & Jón Benediktsson, farmers and horse breeders from Austvaðsholt on the "pampa" at the south of the volcano Mt. Hekla. Anita graduated in Natural Sciences from the Agricultural University of Iceland. Since childhood she accompanied her parents on horseback in the highlands and led from the age of 15 years, many horse riding trips during the summer time in the region of Fjallabak. The Icelandic horse is intelligent, good tempered, versatile and beautiful. It can be found in over 40 different colors, with about 100 variations. Its average height is between 12.3 and 13.1 hands. It masters five gaits, among them the magical tölt. It is strong, enthusiastic, forward-going and docile. It is virtually unknown for a horse, born in Iceland, to kick or bite, and they are usually easy to catch, box and handle. The Icelandic horse has played a vital role in its home country from the beginning. In heathen times the horse was highly regarded and renowned in Norse mythology. The horse played a big part in Norse mythological stories. Hekluhestar

Thierry Basset, 49 years old, from Geneva in Switzerland comes to Iceland every year. His professional activities and his curiosity have often led him to the discovery of lands that are far away from his hometown. Attracted by nature and science at an early age, he began his graduate studies at the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Geneva and a graduate training of geological hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides. He began sharing his knowledge with the public in 1985 and has been guiding the field since 1988. He has acquired over 20 years of extensive experience in earth science. He guided his first trip in 1988 on Mount Etna, Stromboli and Vulcano. In the early 1990s, while attending the University of Geneva, he organized seven other trips to the active volcanoes of Sicily for students of the University of Geneva. He began to expand his travels to the general public in 1999. In total he has designed, organized and guided over 50 trips to Iceland, Greece, Italy, France, Guatemala and New Zealand. Here you can visit his site: http://www.thierrybasset.ch/site/

Cecile Domens, 37, is a wonderful girl. Fascinated since childhood by writing, image and horses, she has traveled the territories of Central Asia, Iceland and Patagonia to meet the last peoples riders and their daily contact with the horse and nature. She spends part of the year in Patagonia where she welcomes groups from Aguila a French agency that she founded and co-manage. Aguila is specialized in photography tours accompanied by talented field photographers. For years, they traveled the world and covered many subjects of peoples and cultures of the world, and great nature sceneries. Over time they have built a solid experience for light, travel and human relationships. Go and visit their website: a breath of fresh wild! http://www.aguila-voyages.com  And then you see the two beautiful photography tours for this year 2013 in Iceland.

Julie Betelu Julie, 28, is originally from the Basque country. She emigrated to Canada few years ago where she has been working for Karavaniers in Montreal for several years. Karavanier is the alter ego in Quebec of Terres Oubliées  in France, the same concern for beautiful travel, and who now form  one team with terzoub, spread over two continents. And in Karavaniers, It is Julie who deals with travel to Iceland.

Francois-Eric Cormier, 44, is a mountain guide in La Compagnie des Guides de Montagne de Chamonix. Many years ago it is the reading of an article written by Philippe Patay that appeared in Geo Magazine that struck his imagination to live also strong Iceland experience, backpacking on the trail of this passionate explorer. .. and as chance would have it is at the heart of the Öræfi desert, in an unlikely place that he met his Icelandic guru...and became the best friends. Francois-Eric has been organizing and guiding treks throughout the world for the past 20 years, from the Alps to the Himalayas, from Patagonia to New Zealand, from the Sahara to southern Africa, from Mongolia to Kamchatka, from Chamonix to the Iceland, where loyalty to this place and friendship has make him return for over 15 trips, a fascination turned to addiction. He is also a photographer, working with the press and author of several books on the Alps. Today he has embarked on writing a novel, a quest to bounce, which mixes historical facts, science, and fiction which of course will take place partly in Iceland, among the personages, some Filippus.  Any resemblance with existing persons is purely coincidental. fecormier@objectif-planete.com

For quite a few years, Arnaud Guérin and Philippe Patay have been doing a lot of trips together and they even co-authored a beautiful book "Trekking in the islands of the North Atlantic" published by Editions Ouest-France in 2007. Geologist, photographer, environmental consultant and especially a Norman, Arnaud is a traveler who has chosen to make his passion his profession. He has many skills, one day he can be a theme travel guide but the next, he will be an environmental consultant and the day after he can be somewhere opening a large format photographic exhibition ... www.expo-lithosphere.com In his work as a photographer, he considers the image as an enter to knowledge. 

Steph, mon vieux complice Stephan Couturier, travaille depuis de longues années avec moi, quand c'est pas pour nous, c'est nous pour lui. Avec Matthieu Flye Sainte Marie  il est le fondateur et co-gérant de l'agence Terres Oubliées en France.. www.terresoubliees.com. Stéphan est d'abord un homme de terrain qui a fréquenté les ours, mais c'est aussi un excellent entrepreneur qui a su garder l'esprit de l'aventure des premiers jours malgré le succès commerciale de sa boite. Récemment Terres Oubliées s'est rapproché de l'agence les Karavaniers au Québec et rien n'est plus agréable que les petits groupes franco-québécois qu'ils envoient en Islande. www.karavaniers.com

In fact, Jean-Marc Plessy kidnapped our best guide, Harpa. He married her and started his own agency. He and Harpa combined their way of life and experience by creating Alkemia. They organize their trips and discoveries mainly on the shores of Lake Myvatn, in the north, where they now live. Hiking, travel associated with the contemplative yoga or qi gong, with massages and baths. They organize your holiday as they would organize their own (in the philosophy of slow travel), the search for authenticity and simplicity. http://www.alkemia.is

Jean Lignier: A guide without hiking shoes, yes he exists and we found him. Jean Lignier: wandering leprechaun,  for the past few decades this rebellious creature has crossed the planet in sandals for his own pleasure and those who accompany him. He is a Cordon bleu and he is the only guide we know that doesnt like hiking shoes.  After starting in the high mountains with some adventurous expeditions including Alaska, he has travelled all over the world because of his passion to discover and getting to know other cultures.His favorite countries are Zanskar and .... of course, Iceland. Between trips, Jean returns home to Haute-Maurienne to assist his life companion Sylvie who makes very nice ecological outdoor clothes. Jean comes every year dressed in his new collection that everybody envies him of.

(to be transleted soon) Michael Charavin, "Mika", est un vrai montagnard, un spartiate, qui réside dans les Hautes Alpes lorsqu'il ne traverse pas le Groenland à Ski, qu'il n'en fait le tour en kayak ou qu'il ne traverse l'Islande de part en part avec 30kg sur le dos. Mika a consacré, durant la dernière décennie, plus de 1000 jours aux raids itinérants et expéditions en régions polaires & boréales ; dont 400 jours d'expédition et plus de 7000 km parcourus à ski ou en kite-ski. L'Islande, cela fait quelques années maintenant qu'il y traine ses chaussures de rando et son énorme sac. Et plus il y passe du temps, plus forte est son envie d'y retourner, de "fouiller" les coins magnifiques déjà parcourus, de découvrir ceux restés à l'écart de ses tribulations précédentes... Ce guide mercenaire est aussi affilié à l'agence Terres Oubliées en France pour laquelle il monte et guide des expéditions dans l'Arctique hiver comme été. Il travaille aussi à son compte dans les Hautes Alpes au sein de l'association Montagne Liberté.   http://latitudes-nord.fr/ michael.charavin@free.fr