Ski mountaineering in Greenland is an experience of a lifetime. There are few places left that convey connection with nature as clearly as the East Coast of Greenland does. It is a truly wild place and the size of the landscape is immense. Ironically, you will be doing this from the comfort of a simple, but very cozy lodge located in the little town of Kulusuk.
Ski mountaineering in Greenland is an experience of a lifetime. There are few places left that convey connection with nature as clearly as the East Coast of Greenland does. It is a truly wild place and the size of the landscape is immense. Ironically you will be doing this from the comfort of a simple, but very cozy lodge located in the little town of Kulusuk that is owned and operated by Matt and Helen Spenceley.
Overall Difficulty Level:Â Difficult; due to combination of multi day effort, some tricky skinning and some basic mountaineering.Â
Skills Required:Â Advanced skiing ability and prior ski touring experience is required.Â
Fitness Level:Â Strenuous
You must be in shape for this multi day ski tour and have a solid ski touring background. In part, this is for safety reasons. The closest definitive care is hundreds of kilometers away.
The afternoon before the trip: We will come and meet you at your hotel in Reykjavik (Iceland) in the later afternoon before the trip start. We will go through a last gear check and spend the remainder of the evening sampling the charming old part of Reykjavik. For those who are interested, of course there is always the famous Blue Lagoon.
Day 1: We will commute as a team back out to the airport and take the short commuter flight to the East Coast of Greenland. Kulusuk airport is located about 2 kilometers from the actual little town of Kulusuk; which has about 300 permanent residents. Upon arrival at the little airport, we will be accompanied the short distance to the village by our hosts. There will be enough time for a walk around Kulusuk, before we get an in depth safety talk. This will involve behaviour around pack ice and gun safety, due to the never ending concern of polar bears. The guide always skis with a rifle. A great dinner at the lodge will conclude the evening.
Day 2 to 7 : Kulusuk is an outlying island in the Ammassalik archipelago on the southeast coast of Greenland. Generally in May, these islands are connected by sea ice, which enables us to reach different islands and endless touring possibilities by snowmobile. On a typical day, breakfast is served at around 7am. Then we get ready and walk down to the little harbor. Skis and packs get loaded onto a sledge and we get towed to the the base of our touring destination. Most of the ski tours involve about 3000 to 4000 feet of climbing. Most of the countless mountains get us to an elevation of about 700 to 1000 meters. We are in radio and satellite communication with our hosts in Kulusuk in case of an emergency and the need for a pick up in the afternoon. The evenings back at the lodge in Kulusuk involve a good amount of chill time over a beer and a plentiful, delicious dinner.
A few days into the week, we will venture deeper into the wildlands of the islands with nights spent in a backcountry hut. This three day circuit will truly drive home how incredibly remote this part of the world is. You might have to participate in a bear nightwatch. That alone is an unforgettable experience, especially if the northern lights come out.
A few words about the skiing. The terrain around Kulusuk Island is ideal for skiing. There is steep terrain, mellow terrain, glaciated and non-glaciated terrain. As you can see in the pictures, the skiing has been straight up sensational on past trips with more perfect corn skiing than one can handle. What there is not on Kulusuk are trees. That means that visibility can get reduced to nothing quite quickly and patience might be required on socked in or stormy days. Either way, we are sure that our trip to Greenland will deliver an unforgettable experience for the person who is looking for an authentic experience of landscape and culture. Our trip is based out of a small Inuit village and because of that you will be closer to the indigenous culture.
Snow Travel Gear
Safety Gear
Technical Gear
On top of all things listed on the equipment list, please bring some extra warmer layers such as:
Surprisingly, it is a low hassle affair. You fly to Reykjavik and spend the night there, before taking the 2 hour commuter flight to Kulusuk the next day. The trick is to get on the flight list early, since flights are very limited.
Since Greenland is essentially a Danish province, the currency is Danish Kroner.
Kulusuk is a very remote outpost and there are not too many opportunities to spend money. You might want to buy a souvenir at the end. There is also a small grocery store in town, but it is not open all the time. Beer and other alcohol is best bought at the duty free shop in the Reykjavik airport.
Lunch is part of your trip cost and is generally made right after breakfast. If you use electrolyte drink powder or or energy bars, you can bring that from home or purchase it in Iceland.
There are polar bears in Greenland and you will be briefed regarding bear safety. The guide will be carrying a high powered rifle.
Well, Greenland can be a cold place, but by our trip date at the end of April or the beginning of May, the temperatures have moderated. The lows generally drop down to -5 C and the highs can hover at or slightly above freezing. Please be aware that these are averages for the town of Kulusuk at sea level. Storms could obviously make it a lot colder.
Matt and Helen Spencley from have built a great lodge in the middle of the town. Accommodations are simple, but very cozy. You will be sleeping in comfortable rooms, bunk style with bathrooms and showers down the hall. There are plenty of places to hang out and lounge and the food is delicious.
Although tipping is not a requirement, it is considered standard practice in the guiding industry and is appreciated by our guides. We generally recommend roughly 10%-15% of your trip cost or a flat amount that you are comfortable with.
The mountains are about 700 meters to 1000 meters tall and you can count on touring about 3000 to 4000 feet of vertical per day. While this is not a crushing amount, keep in mind that you will be doing this for several days in a row.
