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GREENLAND SKI TOURING TRIP

The finest summit – sea ski touring on an extended trip based from our lodge, mountain hut and a remote basecamp.
Trip length // 11 days

Wilderness ski touring and exploration in arctic East Greenland

 Vast backcountry ski terrain of  glaciated alpine summits and frozen fjords

An immersive experience of life in an isolated Inuit community

A partnership of highly experienced IFMGA mountain guides and Tunuumi elders

 

An extended trip furthering the reach of our backcountry ski week, on this trip, we will explore the wild skiing accessible from our lodge and mountain hut before moving further north to ski from a remote basecamp. Spring brings long hours of light and optimum travelling conditions around the fjords, opening up this pristine region of alpine peaks and glaciers. With some fjords frozen and others open water, we'll reach the mountains by snowmobile, dog sled or ice-strengthened boat. 

 

This coastline of alpine mountains, ocean, arctic culture and adventurous skiing completely captivates us to live and explore here. Our partnership brings together the expertise of IFMGA guides and the Tunuumi community to explore these stunning mountains by ski.

East Greenland Ski Touring, Mountaineering & Trekking Specialists

TERRAIN AND SKI OBJECTIVES

From the lodge, we have access to a vast area of alpine peaks that rise directly out of the frozen ocean, bounded to the west by an icecap, second in size only to Antarctica. This is one of the richest areas for exploratory backcountry skiing on earth – our passion is discovering and skiing the incredible peaks we’ve found here.

The mountains of East Greenland are heavily glaciated and surrounded by a complex of fjords. They offer a myriad of great touring and descents, often fall-line skiing from wild summits to icy shores. The terrain is classically alpine, linking peaks, bowls and cols with mellow glacier runs right up to steep couloirs and faces. There are countless first descents and classic lines to be skied. On these trips, we focus on classic ski touring, skinning, sometimes boot-packing, to reach summits with mind-blowing views out over sea ice, countless mountains and glaciers. We’re passionate skiers and use all our expertise to find the best descents. Adventure figures highly here in Greenland…

 

Many fjords frozen, we often tow in by snowmobile or ride dog sleds to the base of our chosen tour. Other waterways remain open throughout spring. Conditions allowing, we will utilise our powerful motor boats to travel the iceberg- and pack ice laden waters to access some of the many stunning objectives that start and end by the saltwater of the fjords. 

 

Vertical height gain from sea to summit starts at around 700m and rises to over 2000m further inland. Ascents/descents closest to the lodge average between 800m and 1000m of vertical, allowing us to link multiple descents.

East Greenland Ski Touring, Mountaineering & Trekking Specialists
East Greenland Ski Touring, Mountaineering & Trekking Specialists

THE PLAN

In this wild and remote region, the state of the sea ice, snowpack and the prevailing weather dictates everything that we do.  All plans work from there and no two weeks are the same.  This is proper adventure…

 

Flying into East Greenland and the snow strip at Kulusuk, we will skin around 30 minutes to the lodge whilst all kit is taken by snowmobile. After lunch and an update on conditions, we undertake a detailed avalanche exercise, if time allows as part of a short ski tour. After dinner and a comfortable night at the lodge, Sunday is our first proper ski day… and from here on in, the state of the sea ice, snowpack and weather will lead all of our plans. We’ll ski each day, either from the door or more normally using snowmobiles to tow in, dog sleds or boats to reach our chosen objectives. Of the 9 full days of skiing, we plan to spend a proportion of the trip based out of several huts or remote basecamps before returning to the lodge again. Each trip always turns out to be unique as we closely follow conditions to ski the best snow, sometimes on classic lines, others exploring new ground. At the end of an immersive ski adventure, we skin back to the snow strip on Wednesday in time for your return prop-plane flight to Reykjavik, Iceland.

OUR LODGE

A traditional wooden cabin we have built ourselves over the years, our lodge is nestled in the tiny Inuit village of Kulusuk, home to 200 people.  

 

A cosy, comfortable and practical base to ski from, the lodge provides cabin bedrooms, running water, hot showers, and flushing toilets. There’s a drying area for kit, a stove-warmed sitting room and dining room with a big table we all gather round each evening. Cut off by sea ice six months of the year, our stores and freezers are well supplied to provide a plentiful and varied menu. Whenever possible, we eat locally caught fish, from salmon to arctic char, cod and halibut. We also have a workshop to service our snowmobiles, boats and skis!

East Greenland Ski Touring, Mountaineering & Trekking Specialists
East Greenland Ski Touring, Mountaineering & Trekking Specialists

ABILITY

We work hard to build compatible teams who will have a great week together. Whilst many folk have skied with us before, for those who haven’t, we ask that you are a competent backcountry skier comfortable making daily ascents of 1000 – 1400m (at up to 400m/h). As guides, we will set a comfortable pace and be on-hand to assist throughout the day. Whilst we will be looking for soft snow, you should be comfortable skinning and kick-turning on hard surfaces. On the descent, you should be able to safely ski variable snow on classic touring terrain. Basic use of mountaineering axe and boot crampons allows us to deal with short sections of steeper ground, whether over cols or en route to summits. Your guide will lead a detailed avalanche training exercise and handle any rope work required whilst on glaciated terrain – no formal prior certification is required.

 

Please contact us if you have any questions about the suitability of this trip.

GUIDING

We are a small and dedicated team of internationally qualified IFMGA/UIAGM mountain guides who are also passionate skiers. As East Greenland specialists, we encompass over 20 years' experience in this region. We have great respect for these remote mountains, carefully managing the unique risks this arctic environment presents. Our safety record is a result of this focus. 

 

We are happy to help folk keen to refine ski touring technique, from glacier travel and avalanche safety to technical ski and mountaineering skills.

East Greenland Ski Touring, Mountaineering & Trekking Specialists

SNOWPACK AND CONDITIONS

The prevailing weather system in the Kulusuk region oscillates between long periods of high pressure – bringing stable, colder, clear conditions – and low-pressure storms driving in snow from the NE. 

 

Straight off the ocean, these systems are relatively warm and can bring high winds, leading to high volumes of snowfall that stick to the steepest faces. When the high pressure returns, this moist snow is dried out.  Whilst avalanche conditions are clearly dynamic and require constant vigilance, our maritime snowpack tends to settle quickly due to moisture content. Persistent weak layers are uncommon. For all our trips, we recommend a versatile touring set-up suitable for European alpine winter conditions, with the addition of some warmer layers.

 

MARCH

Colder temperatures and more frequent storms lead us to search out powder on sheltered aspects.

 

APRIL

High pressure from the icecap tends to dominate, bringing stable conditions. As the month progresses, spring snow can begin to form on steeper southern aspects whilst cold snow dominates on the rest of the mountain.

 

MAY

The arrival of warmer temperatures and a strong spring snow cycle opens up great corn skiing on multiple aspects. Long daylight hours and low-angle sunlight due to our northerly position keep spring snow good for many hours.

GETTING TO GREENLAND

To come visit us on this remote coastline, we’re best reached via Iceland, only 1 hr 40 mins away by turbo prop-plane.

 

Keflavik, Iceland’s international airport is a hub for North America and Europe and also the starting point for flights to our local airstrip in Kulusuk.

 

Seats on these Icelandair-operated flights are in short supply and book out early. Whilst we don’t organise flights ourselves, travel agent VR Travel aims to reserve tickets for all our trips and can assist with international connections. You can also book direct with Icelandair.

East Greenland Ski Touring, Mountaineering & Trekking Specialists

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