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
Susie // Germany
Boat-Supported Trek
"That has been one wonderful trek - with amazing views, beautiful campsites, gorgeous weather, delicious food (the freshest fish and mussels you ever get!), a great group and of course a dedicated and knowledgeable guide! Thank you, Rich, for the awesome hike through this big wilderness; and of course..." (more)
Susie // Germany
Boat-Supported Trek
"That has been one wonderful trek - with amazing views, beautiful campsites, gorgeous weather, delicious food (the freshest fish and mussels you ever get!), a great group and of course a dedicated and knowledgeable guide! Thank you, Rich, for the awesome hike through this big wilderness; and of course thanks to Helen and Matt for the wonderful hospitality in the lodge. I’ll remember this trip forever and I’m sure I’ll be back in dreamland for more!"
Adrien // France
Backcountry Ski Expedition
"I just wanted to say thank you to you and your team for this amazing trip. I have no words to describe it, it exceeded all my expectations. And especially, a big thank you to the guide. Until the last minute of the last day, he did everything to make this trip so special, and to give us the best experience..." (more)
Adrien // France
Backcountry Ski Expedition
"I just wanted to say thank you to you and your team for this amazing trip. I have no words to describe it, it exceeded all my expectations. And especially, a big thank you to the guide. Until the last minute of the last day, he did everything to make this trip so special, and to give us the best experience we could have. Being there, in the middle of all these glaciers, mountains and icebergs... completely alone, discovering a new world, but always confident."
Dave // UK
First Descents Ski Expedition
"What a special place and what a special group of people! I don’t think I have ever come across such a hardworking team, with such attention to detail in all aspects of what you do. The end result has been a stunning trip and all your efforts are hugely appreciated. Thank you for showing your home..." (more)
Dave // UK
First Descents Ski Expedition
"What a special place and what a special group of people! I don’t think I have ever come across such a hardworking team, with such attention to detail in all aspects of what you do. The end result has been a stunning trip and all your efforts are hugely appreciated. Thank you for showing your home knowledge and enthusiasm for this beautiful place and creating such a great atmosphere for us to enjoy ourselves in. It’s been fantastic! All the best with your future projects and plans."
Craig // Scotland
Caledonian Alps Glacier Traverse
"Thanks to the Pirhuk team for one of the most memorable and special experiences of my life. Greenland is a truly special place and Pirhuk have the capability to make it accessible and safe for people like me. Safety underpinned Pirhuk’s approach to the entire expedition, but it was also full of fun and a..." (more)
Craig // Scotland
Caledonian Alps Glacier Traverse
"Thanks to the Pirhuk team for one of the most memorable and special experiences of my life. Greenland is a truly special place and Pirhuk have the capability to make it accessible and safe for people like me. Safety underpinned Pirhuk’s approach to the entire expedition, but it was also full of fun and a shared passion for wilderness and the natural world. The Greenland trek was an experience I will never forget, made more special by the professionalism and dedication of the Pirhuk team."
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."