EAST GREENLAND
Heliskiing in East Greenland is all about vast mountain expanses, tiny villages and towns along the coastline, runs that go right down to the water’s edge, and the icy Denmark Strait where whales, seals, and polar bears live year round.
The phrase “lack of space” does not seem to exist in the East Greenlandic vocabulary. In the region itself they often emphasize how wildness and roughness dominate the landscape, and there is something to it when you try to gauge the physical size of 250.000 km2 wilderness through a helicopter window.
WEST GREENLAND
The alpine ranges just south of the Arctic Circle in West Greenland are known for coastal heliskiing, peaks up to 2,000 meters, wide glacier faces, steep transitions to couloirs, and helicopter pick-ups right at the water’s edge of ice free fjords.
The 12-person expedition ship Kisaq provides direct access to the archipelagos and fjord systems around Maniitsoq and Kangaamiut. The couple running the ship combine comfort, local knowledge and highly praised culinary experiences on a mobile heliskiing platform, and each day they will meet the helicopter at the location where the skiing is considered to best.
LOCAL CULTURE
For many heliskiers coming to Greenland the experience is more than just about skiing, and part of the added value is the cultural experience of living close to the local population in a small fishing and hunting community.
The after-skiing stories mix with everyday chatter in the street when you live in a small settlement or town, and meeting the locals is a reminder that in the middle of this alpine adventure world there’s a people who has called this rugged land their home for millenia.
