East Greenland Ski Touring
Ski Touring in Eastern Greenland isn’t for the faint at heart. The adventure begins long before you put your skins on for the first time and begin to ascend one of the remote peaks in Eastern Greenland. First, you must travel from Reykjavik, Iceland the capital city of Iceland to the tiny international airport of Kulusuk, Greenland. From here you hop onto a boat that will navigate through the icy waters to the remote village of Kuummiut, Greenland. Kuummiut is a picturesque town with colorful houses set against a backdrop of white mountains. It is a typical small Greenlandic fishing village that happens to receive meters of snow in the winter. There are small guest houses that are available to use as a base for ski touring adventures around the village. This village is not only in a spectacular setting surrounding by beautiful mountains set on the fjord but gives you a glimpse into the day to day life of Eastern Greenland.
The accommodation in Kuummiut is pretty basic. With no roads leading in and out of the village, local transportation is either by dog sled or snowmobile. The local economy is still based on hunting and fishing. This village will truly give you a look into the traditional lifestyle of Greenland. There is plenty of ski touring and exploring to be done from the village of Kuummiut, but in order to explore some of the more remote peaks in Eastern Greenland a trip to a mountain hut is a must-do! Just a short 5-hour dog sled ride takes you even deeper into the Coast Mountains of Greenland for a truly unique ski touring experience!
There is so much skiing to be found from this mountain hut. You feel totally alone deep in the Arctic surrounded by wild ski terrain. There are steep couloirs not far from the hut that will make your heart race as you ski down them!! The wide-open bowls are perfect for making big GS turns. And there is nothing quite like skiing from 2,000 meters down towards the ocean. Depending on the weather you can be skiing spring like conditions on South and Westerly aspects while still being able to find fun powder stashes on the North aspects. Just sitting on the deck at the end of the day sipping on hot tea and soaking in the surroundings will easily become an evening tradition. It will be hard to leave the hut when the time comes!
The long journey will have to be reversed in order to make it back home, but it is well worth all of the effort. This is a truly unique ski touring destination. It is one of the last frontiers of skiing. The combination of ski touring, magnificent views and the taste of the local culture is hard to find in other parts of the world. The bright-faced children of Kuummiut and wild Greenlandic mountains will provide a lasting memory.
For more details: https://www.powderguides.com/greenland-ski-touring/
