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
Bruce // UK
East Greenland Mountaineering Expedition
"Thanks for all the support and advice for the expedition during the last 18 months planning, I knew from an early stage that with Pirhuk we were going to have a fantastic time. The locations you advised on were excellent and helped us achieve all our aims. Thanks again for a wonderful time, and we will..." (more)
Bruce // UK
East Greenland Mountaineering Expedition
"Thanks for all the support and advice for the expedition during the last 18 months planning, I knew from an early stage that with Pirhuk we were going to have a fantastic time. The locations you advised on were excellent and helped us achieve all our aims. Thanks again for a wonderful time, and we will return to Greenland in the future."
Sue // USA
Ski Touring Week
"To the entire crew, what a tremendous stay. I can’t thank you enough for sharing your special slice of Greenland. You are all so hospitable and made me feel right at home. Cutting through the ice, climbing your mountains, skiing down to the deep blue waters; what could be better? Our trip flew by; I’d like..." (more)
Sue // USA
Ski Touring Week
"To the entire crew, what a tremendous stay. I can’t thank you enough for sharing your special slice of Greenland. You are all so hospitable and made me feel right at home. Cutting through the ice, climbing your mountains, skiing down to the deep blue waters; what could be better? Our trip flew by; I’d like to come back. Thank you so, so much."
Thorsteinn // USA
Customised Trips And Expeditions
"Thanks so much for an amazing adventure! Your passion for the outdoors truly shows. I was deeply impressed by everyone’s kindness and attention to everybody's safety. Very thorough, very professional and wonderful hospitality! During our outing I felt a peace of mind in knowing that I was clearly under the..." (more)
Thorsteinn // USA
Customised Trips And Expeditions
"Thanks so much for an amazing adventure! Your passion for the outdoors truly shows. I was deeply impressed by everyone’s kindness and attention to everybody's safety. Very thorough, very professional and wonderful hospitality! During our outing I felt a peace of mind in knowing that I was clearly under the guidance of experts. Thank you again!!"
Isabel // USA
Arctic Wilderness Trek
"It is thanks to you all – your care and respect for this place – that I find my ears full of the crackle of ice, my eyes full of the late and early light. Saxifrage, blueberry, cottongrass. There are such deep ways of listening and perceiving only available 6 days out. This place has been so generous to..." (more)
Isabel // USA
Arctic Wilderness Trek
"It is thanks to you all – your care and respect for this place – that I find my ears full of the crackle of ice, my eyes full of the late and early light. Saxifrage, blueberry, cottongrass. There are such deep ways of listening and perceiving only available 6 days out. This place has been so generous to me & I’m so grateful. All the very best."
Ben // UK
East Greenland Mountaineering Expedition
"Thank you so much for welcoming us all into your cosy little home in this extraordinary place. As soon as we landed in Kulusuk you could sense the wildness but as soon as we walk into your lodge it felt like we haven’t left home… Your team has allowed me to have a once-in-a-lifetime adventure… Living in..." (more)
Ben // UK
East Greenland Mountaineering Expedition
"Thank you so much for welcoming us all into your cosy little home in this extraordinary place. As soon as we landed in Kulusuk you could sense the wildness but as soon as we walk into your lodge it felt like we haven’t left home… Your team has allowed me to have a once-in-a-lifetime adventure… Living in this jaw-dropping environment has been bliss. "
Mirek // Poland
Backcountry Ski Expedition
"I just wanted to add that this was one of the best, most professionally organized expeditions/trips that I have attended, with just the right balance of everything. Thanks a lot Dave for letting us experience a real polar expedition and the feeling if things would go bad (weather, polar bears, etc) then..." (more)
Mirek // Poland
Backcountry Ski Expedition
"I just wanted to add that this was one of the best, most professionally organized expeditions/trips that I have attended, with just the right balance of everything. Thanks a lot Dave for letting us experience a real polar expedition and the feeling if things would go bad (weather, polar bears, etc) then we are under the care of a real professional. "
The Powers // Australia
Boat-Supported Trek
"Matt & Helen, thank you for a once in a lifetime trip. You are both such genuine people and truly live and breathe this place. We’ve all learned so much from you Matt about this incredible place, it’s people and history. Thanks for showing us the most picturesque of camping sites and truly engaging..." (more)
The Powers // Australia
Boat-Supported Trek
"Matt & Helen, thank you for a once in a lifetime trip. You are both such genuine people and truly live and breathe this place. We’ve all learned so much from you Matt about this incredible place, it’s people and history. Thanks for showing us the most picturesque of camping sites and truly engaging with us as not just our guide but a brilliant mate."
Jo // Cumbria
Caledonian Alps Glacier Traverse
"Thanks Matt and Helen for another great trip to Greenland. The lodge is amazing and testament to all your hard work. The trek was beautiful, made even more special by all the fresh fish brilliantly prepared and cooked by Helen. I will never tire of this place and look forward to many more trips – hope to..." (more)
Jo // Cumbria
Caledonian Alps Glacier Traverse
"Thanks Matt and Helen for another great trip to Greenland. The lodge is amazing and testament to all your hard work. The trek was beautiful, made even more special by all the fresh fish brilliantly prepared and cooked by Helen. I will never tire of this place and look forward to many more trips – hope to be able to come out to help you in future. Thank you."
Quintin // France
Ski Touring Week
"Thank you for your warm welcome into your house. The work you’ve done here truly is amazing. I have spent the whole evening reading the story of Knud Rasmussen, contemplating at the same time Kulusuk bay. What more could one ask…? The journey through the fjord was one of the best experiences I ever had in..." (more)
Quintin // France
Ski Touring Week
"Thank you for your warm welcome into your house. The work you’ve done here truly is amazing. I have spent the whole evening reading the story of Knud Rasmussen, contemplating at the same time Kulusuk bay. What more could one ask…? The journey through the fjord was one of the best experiences I ever had in my life. Mysterious, quite challenging sometimes, Stunning…"