Further Information

The Biking Book of Iceland and it's author:

Ómar Smári Kristinsson, a visual artist, was lucky enough to fall prey to the biking fever. Everyone should know by now that biking is optimal for mental and physical health, for the economy and for the environment. In Smári‘s case it was a real health issue. His work does not require much physical action, and his blood runs slow in his veins. He also suffers from a longing to travel; his favorite speed is slow and well suited for observing his surroundings. So, everything pointed in the same direction: biking. However, this does not fully explain why he writes the Biking Books. Smári was brought up to believe that his actions should have a practical purpose. Now he can fulfill his desire to travel and at the same time inform others about his experiences.

Drawing maps and informative schemes is what Smári does for living. He can write text, take photos and draw. What he is not capable of his wife, Nína Ivanova, does for him. She is an artist with a great understanding of the world of computers. She creates the layouts and prepares the books for printing. Smári and Nína were also fortunate to have a friend who owned a small publishing house, Vestfirska forlagið, with which they worked from time to time. When Smári asked the publisher if he had any interest in publishing the Biking Books, he leapt at the chance. By then, all the elements necessary for creating and publishing a Biking Book were in place.

What are the Biking Books all about?:

The Biking Books reflect the joy the author takes in traveling around Iceland, exploring its beauty and wonders. Smári is no hard core biker, and he has no interest in competitions. So, the routes he picks are of another nature. They are all day tours. Some are short and easy. Others are more demanding, even very demanding for a big-bellied man in his fifties such as the author.

The benefit of a day tour is that one does not have to carry much weight. These tours are circuits with the same start and end points (such as a car park, accommodation or bus stop). Iceland’s grid of roads and paths is not incredibly abundant, which limits the number of potential circuit tours. Still, there are enough of them to fill several Biking Books. People usually find more enjoyment when traveling in circles than from going from point A to B and back. A circuit offers a greater variety of experience, and the variation between front wind and tail wind can also be quite positive.

The most interesting sites are not always right next to the path, so the books also describe a lot of detours. There are traces of local knowledge in the books, but they aim mainly to describe the routes: how difficult they are (gradients, surface, etc.), if there is much traffic to be expected, whether there is drinking water nearby, which dangers might be confronted and what can been seen on the way. Photos, maps, short texts, symbols and graphics are used to maximize the informative content.

The first book focuses on the Westfjords, and this is the only book that has been translated into English. The other five books cover the areas from the West to the Southeast. The seventh book is in progress. The series will end with two books about the North of Iceland.

Books number 3 and 4 again:

Why is the author rewriting two of his books before he finishes the series for the whole country? Everything changes so quickly in Iceland. New routes open up and others close due to human activity and the forces of nature. The books become out of date. At the same time, some titles are now sold out. Instead of making minor changes, the author decided to make new books with new routes. These will become valid members in the series, a necessity for the collectors. The timing too is no coincidence. Hallgrímur Sveinsson, died in 2020, and his publishing house died with him.

Ómar Smári's publication:

Losing Hallgrímur and his publishing house was a great loss for his nearest as well as for the greater society. Still, this was no death sentence for the Biking Book series. Smári will publish them himself, with Nína‘s help. He has gathered his strength and is rewriting the books as soon as they sell out. Then he will finish by writing about routes throughout the whole country. Maybe he will manage before dying of old age.

The only problem is that Smári and Nína are also artists, and as such, they have limited funding. If they manage to raise enough here on Karolina Fund to print the books, then they will make it further. The books are popular and will sell enough to provide capital for the next printing and then the next one and so on. If Smári makes it up this hill, then the wheels will keep turning.