About Us
A close-knit team of professional mountain guides and local experts specialising in East Greenland – our home and passion.
A FAMILY BUSINESS IN THE NORTH
A way of life entwined with the fjords, mountains, glaciers and seasons.
Pirhuk is made up of a close-knit group of friends & family who encompass many years of experience in Greenland, the highest levels of certification in mountain guiding and a passion for the way of life we've found on the mountainous coastline that surrounds our home and lodge here in Kulusuk. We've dedicated ourselves to this pristine and wild land, watching and slowly learning from the complex interplay between ocean currents, snowpack, ice, migratory animals and weather. Over many years of exciting trips, we’ve had the privilege of making some great friends from around the world, many of whom join us each season to continue our exploration of this region.
The beginnings of Pirhuk took root over 20 years ago when IFMGA guide Matt Spenceley, then in his teens, began spending a lot of time climbing and skiing in Greenland. Taken under the wing of Georg and the Utuaq family, their deep roots and intimacy with the land, water and ice have informed everything we do. Things have gradually, organically grown since then. Helen joined Matt a decade ago, guiding, skiing, fishing and building a lodge in amongst all of that. Rich, an old friend, followed on, contributing much to what Pirhuk has become. We've striven hard, committed all we have, learnt all we could - and feel very lucky - to live this way.
After many years of skiing beautiful peaks, climbing remote alpine summits, backpacking into some seriously wild areas and kayaking over the same fjords that we travel by dog sled in winter, our passion for what we do only gets stronger.
OUR ETHOS
The central tenet of Pirhuk is simple: our trips & expeditions are an expression of our huge passion for Greenland and a deep love of being in the mountains combined with the expertise of over 20 years up north. Every trip you find here is a trip we actively want to do; our primary motivation is the trip itself, not its potential for profitability.
Even after travels all over the World, we’ve not found a place that inspires so much, whether because of the quality and ‘wildness’ of the skiing, climbing and trekking or because of the raw beauty of this magical land and the special people that live here. Pirhuk is a small guide-owned and -run outfit, meaning that from the outset, you deal with folk who have spent many consecutive seasons in the mountains of Greenland – our advice is based on what works for us and our trips on the current-most information and expertise.
You’re not paying for the structure of a big company. Our aim is to be professional but friendly; to be the very best we can be in our own special field as opposed to offering ever more trips or being the biggest operator. Our vision is to return to a purer form of adventure in Greenland, engaging more fully with what we’re here to do; objectives chosen for the passion they instil, rather than because it’s the highest peak, or the simplest place to get to. Logistics that are suited to, and pay respect, to the place and people: dog sleds and snowmobiles over the winter ice of the fjords; a boat to the base of a tidewater glacier, followed by a sledge journey instead of a charter plane direct to base camp. These choices aren’t always the easiest, but we believe they provide a deeper insight into Greenland and make for a rich, unique experience of this special land.
A partnership of local experts and guides, we launch our trips from our lodge and home in the tiny Inuit community of Kulusuk. This keeps money in Greenland, provides folk visiting us with an experience of a proud culture and ensures that our plans have the invaluable input of the hunters, surely the best people to advise on travelling conditions, summer or winter. Whilst our guides uphold the highest professional standards on all our trips and expeditions, we hope that each team member will play a full part, bringing whatever skills they have to each trip. For those interested, we’re always keen to help you develop technical skills and pass on the knowledge we use to work in the unique and challenging environment Greenland presents.
GUIDE BIOGRAPHIES
OUR GUIDING QUALIFICATIONS
The mountains are in our blood. We are proud to bring the highest levels of international certification together with our passion and many years of dedication to this wild place.
In Greenland, mountains as wild, remote and serious as anywhere on earth, we have striven to set the standards for arctic mountain guiding. We bring the highest world-wide levels of qualification to everything that we do: as IFMGA high mountain guides for climbing, mountaineering and backcountry skiing, and UIMLA international mountain leaders for wilderness trekking. To this, we add decades of local experience and safety systems developed to meet the unique challenges of this isolated arctic, alpine, maritime area. Whilst this is our profession, it goes much further than that, a way of life deeply entwined with the mountains and fjords through the seasons. We love skiing, mountaineering and trekking and are happy to share our expertise in developing and refining your own skills. With trips that can last weeks and many guests we see every year, the friendships we’ve gained and the way in which we watch folk grow as mountaineers means a great deal to us.
FROM OUR GUESTBOOK
Mark // UK
Ski Touring Week
"In a world full of special and amazing places, Angmagssalik and Nanoq Lodge, in particular, are special indeed. Surrounded by iced seas, soaring glacier-clad mountains, the lodge and the village in which it nestles have a warm heart. Amazing skiing across the island, wilderness in the Emmanuel hut on the..." (more)
Mark // UK
Ski Touring Week
"In a world full of special and amazing places, Angmagssalik and Nanoq Lodge, in particular, are special indeed. Surrounded by iced seas, soaring glacier-clad mountains, the lodge and the village in which it nestles have a warm heart. Amazing skiing across the island, wilderness in the Emmanuel hut on the north east side of the main island and the chaos and fun of dog sledding. Look forward to returning with my wife and continuing the exploration. Thank you to Matt, Helen and of course Rich."
Toby // NZ
First Descents Ski Expedition
"Matt, Helen, Rich – Thank you all so much for making us welcome and looking us us so well over the past 3 weeks. You exceptional skills and hard work have meant that despite challenging weather and snow conditions we have had a fabulous trip. It’s hard to see we could have accomplished much more, and..." (more)
Toby // NZ
First Descents Ski Expedition
"Matt, Helen, Rich – Thank you all so much for making us welcome and looking us us so well over the past 3 weeks. You exceptional skills and hard work have meant that despite challenging weather and snow conditions we have had a fabulous trip. It’s hard to see we could have accomplished much more, and with such constant enjoyment. It was also great to have Badger and Nanoq with us on our remoter trip – their presence added a certain, I don’t know what…. a je ne sais quoi - that’s it! – to our trip."
Ray // USA
Ski Touring Week
"Thank you for a wonderful week in Greenland. I enjoyed the skiing and I’m pleased to have been able to improve my mountaineering skills. The views of the peaks we climbed were spectacular and well worth the effort. The various modes of transport also made the trip especially interesting. The hut was a fun..." (more)
Ray // USA
Ski Touring Week
"Thank you for a wonderful week in Greenland. I enjoyed the skiing and I’m pleased to have been able to improve my mountaineering skills. The views of the peaks we climbed were spectacular and well worth the effort. The various modes of transport also made the trip especially interesting. The hut was a fun experience. I also enjoyed learning more about the local conditions. Overall the experience has been unforgettable and I appreciate all you’ve done to make this week possible for us. Thank you again!"
Mahnaz // USA
Boat-Supported Trek
"Thank you Pirhuk for an amazing adventure. The astounding beauty of East Greenland will stay with me always. No pictures or words can accurately describe it. You have to go experience it for yourself. Our extremely knowledgeable leader/guide Rich made us all feel safe while trekking in one of the wildest..." (more)
Mahnaz // USA
Boat-Supported Trek
"Thank you Pirhuk for an amazing adventure. The astounding beauty of East Greenland will stay with me always. No pictures or words can accurately describe it. You have to go experience it for yourself. Our extremely knowledgeable leader/guide Rich made us all feel safe while trekking in one of the wildest places in the world. He went above and beyond to ensure everyone was well taken care of throughout the journey. Thanks also to the entire team at Pirhuk for their hospitality and kindness. Hope to return soon!"
Linda & Susanne // Virginia
Inuit Dog Sled Expedition
"What an incredible trip! Experiencing the changing weather of such a powerful place, the kind folk who live in this challenging location, the majestic scenery, and of course, the singing dogs, always ready for an adventure! Wow… my first trip to Greenland and I will have to say it was one of the most..." (more)
Linda & Susanne // Virginia
Inuit Dog Sled Expedition
"What an incredible trip! Experiencing the changing weather of such a powerful place, the kind folk who live in this challenging location, the majestic scenery, and of course, the singing dogs, always ready for an adventure! Wow… my first trip to Greenland and I will have to say it was one of the most physically challenging and enjoyable trips ever. Thank you to all who worked so hard to protect us and make us comfortable. I will always remember it and my newfound love of Greenland… Love to Rich, Matt, Helen and dog teams led by Justus, Nuka and Mikael."
Shae // UK
East Greenland Mountaineering Expedition
"The trip surpassed all my expectations and I’m so glad to have persisted with my efforts to come. I really appreciated the professionalism with which you operate, combined with the personal touch that comes from working with small groups; I know we all felt very welcome on arrival in Kulusuk. The guiding..." (more)
Shae // UK
East Greenland Mountaineering Expedition
"The trip surpassed all my expectations and I’m so glad to have persisted with my efforts to come. I really appreciated the professionalism with which you operate, combined with the personal touch that comes from working with small groups; I know we all felt very welcome on arrival in Kulusuk. The guiding and instruction were of an incredibly high standard and there was so much for me to take forward in the way of realistic advice and knowledge about operating in the mountains. I fear that this trip is going to be a very hard act to follow. East Greenland is such a special place."
Alberto // Spain
Ski Touring Week
"When I first met Matt i Norway some years ago, the way he talked about Greenland drew my attention. His passion was such that I knew I was going to visit him. I wanted to invite some good friends to what seemed like a great adventure. Now that this week is over, I am overwhelmed by the attention to detail...." (more)
Alberto // Spain
Ski Touring Week
"When I first met Matt i Norway some years ago, the way he talked about Greenland drew my attention. His passion was such that I knew I was going to visit him. I wanted to invite some good friends to what seemed like a great adventure. Now that this week is over, I am overwhelmed by the attention to detail. Everything is thought in advance, huge effort is put into the experience to make it perfect, always with a smile, always ready to help in any minor incident, and willing to spend the whole day working to make our stay unforgettable. I am so impressed. Thanks everything and I’m sure I’ll see you soon."
Susi // Switzerland
Inuit Dog Sled Expedition
"I had the opportunity to travel with Pirhuk twice so far - both in winter and in summer. The dog sledding trip with the local Inuit was a magnificent journey through a vast white wilderness, offering me the unique chance to learn more about the culture and history of the island and its people. Traveling on..." (more)
Susi // Switzerland
Inuit Dog Sled Expedition
"I had the opportunity to travel with Pirhuk twice so far - both in winter and in summer. The dog sledding trip with the local Inuit was a magnificent journey through a vast white wilderness, offering me the unique chance to learn more about the culture and history of the island and its people. Traveling on the sea ice was very special; and the whole trip was very well organized. The equipment provided was perfect (warm clothes, tents, food), and Rich was a wonderful guide, offering lots of additional information and stories, and also making us feel safe at all times (even in the 12 hour-or-so blizzard we experienced)."
Rob // Seattle
First Descents Ski Expedition
"Last April, three of us from Seattle signed up for the "East Greenland Exploratory Ski Touring Expedition" with Pirhuk and the trip definitely delivered the goods! It was an incredible trip and I was impressed with Matt's guiding and with Pirhuk in general. Matt operates in an extremely challenging..." (more)
Rob // Seattle
First Descents Ski Expedition
"Last April, three of us from Seattle signed up for the "East Greenland Exploratory Ski Touring Expedition" with Pirhuk and the trip definitely delivered the goods! It was an incredible trip and I was impressed with Matt's guiding and with Pirhuk in general. Matt operates in an extremely challenging environment and the combination of the vast local knowledge of Georg, Justus, and his other native Inuit partners with Matt's superb mountain guiding skills made for a truly unique, safe, and exciting, experience. And yeah, what is this weird obsession with whether it is called a biscuit or a cookie? Sounds like Rich's obsession with relish!"