A trawler for a floating base camp: ski & cruise in the Fjord of Eternity
- Boris Malesset
- Jul 5
- 6 min read
At six, the coffee steams in the wheelhouse and nobody speaks. Light climbs the walls that plunge straight into black water, and at the head of the fjord the ice calves — a crack, then silence. This is where a day of ski and cruise in Greenland begins: no chairlift, no road, just a boat that carried you through the night to the foot of the mountain. You put your skins on in the cabin, check the pack one last time — transceiver, shovel, probe — and climb up on deck, where the tender is already waiting against the hull.
The Fjord of Eternity, on the west coast of Greenland, is reached by sea from the small port of Maniitsoq — one of the rare ways to come at these faces: drifting ice, isolation, no land access, terrain where you ski from summit to the water's edge without ever crossing a track but your own. Our ski & cruise expedition sets out in April 2027, eight days and seven nights aboard.
The Fjord of Eternity, out of Maniitsoq
Maniitsoq sits on a maze of islands and channels, mid-way up the western seaboard. You cast off heading north and stop at Kangaamiut, an Inuit village clinging to its rock — colourful wooden houses, sled dogs howling in the cold. Then the fjord closes in, the walls tighten and rise, and the water turns black.
At the head, the Eternity glacier calves in silence, and blue ice drifts past the hull. The peaks rise straight from the shore, and what matters to the skier is their profile — slender ridgelines that open into big faces, couloirs dropping straight to the water, the rarity of terrain where the descent only stops at the shore.
The Terschelling, floating base camp
The boat is called the Terschelling. Built in the Netherlands in 1963 for the Dutch coastguard, it has been fully refitted as an expedition ship, with an ice-strengthened hull — enough to push up a fjord full of ice without flinching at every contact. You hear the ice scraping the plating, a dull grinding that reminds you exactly where you are.
Aboard, twelve passengers, no more — and that is what changes everything. In the evening at anchor the Terschelling becomes a refuge: the same table, the day's stories, the chart spread out to read tomorrow's line, the reassuring calm of a boat keeping watch while you sleep. You carry your own shelter, and it moves with you — from the foot of one face to the next, at the mercy of the snow and the ice.
A typical day, from tender to shore
In the morning the tender drops us in Inuit country, on a beach or a snow shelf at the foot of the chosen mountain. Skins on, off you go. The climb runs at the group's pace, kick turns on the steeper slopes, reading the snowpack as you gain height — aspect, temperatures, what the wind laid down yesterday. The pro leading the group digs a pit when doubt creeps in, and some days you give up the planned line for a wiser one.
Then the descent. From the summit you drop onto faces running from summit to sea — long turns in cold powder, or well-recovered spring snow depending on the hour and the aspect, until the skis nearly touch the water. The days string together fine descents, on sustained but not extreme slopes. The snow changes fast here, and the fjord ice with it: terrain you read as much as you ski.
In Inuit country
Between two climbs you meet the other Greenland — the human one. Maniitsoq and Kangaamiut live at the edge of the world, quiet and tenacious, clinging to their rock for centuries. You step ashore for a stopover, exchange a few words, look at the sledges and the boats, and leave with the sense of having brushed against a way of life like no other.
The rest of the time, silence dominates — an arctic silence, dense, filled by nothing but the slap of water on the hull and, now and then, the crash of a glacier calving. The light never ends: in April the days lengthen fast and you ski in a raking clarity that draws out every relief. It's that polar mood you carry home, as much as the descents.
Level, when to go, how to get there
This trip is for an autonomous, strong off-piste skier. You need to skin for several hours, manage fatigue over six days of skiing, and be comfortable descending serious faces in all snow conditions. The group is led by a mountain pro — an off-piste-specialist instructor or an IFMGA/UIAGM mountain guide depending on the terrain — who reads the snow, the ice, and sets the day-by-day programme, indicative by nature.
The window is April 2027: the days lengthen, the cold still holds the snow, and the sea ice hasn't yet closed these coasts. The format is eight days and seven nights, about six of skiing, out and back from Maniitsoq — served via the west coast of Greenland, itself reached through Iceland or Denmark. The price starts from €8,500 per person, and places are scarce: twelve aboard, no more. To hold a spot, write to us from the Greenland trip page or via our contact form.
If the idea of a boat for your only lift speaks to you, we follow the same thread elsewhere: the ski & sail expedition in Svalbard, the ski touring in Tröllaskagi, Iceland — often the stepping stone to Greenland — or, far to the south, the ski cruise in Antarctica. To prepare an arctic trip, Visit Greenland gives a good overview of seasons and access. Out there, expedition cruising follows a clear framework — the AECO guidelines, from the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators.
The founder's word. I've skied off-piste since 2001, and Greenland is still one of the few places that puts me back in my place. Here you don't tick off summits: you move from one anchorage to the next, you wait for the snow and the ice to let you through, and you turn back without argument when it doesn't feel right. That's what I try to offer — not a feat, but a few days spent at the mountain's own pace. — Boris, founder of PowderWeGo
In brief
Where: Fjord of Eternity, west coast of Greenland, out of Maniitsoq (stop at Kangaamiut).
When: April 2027, 8 days / 7 nights (about 6 days skiing).
The boat: the Terschelling, ex-Dutch coastguard from 1963, ice-strengthened hull, 12 passengers.
The skiing: skinning up, descents from summit to sea, on sustained slopes.
Level: autonomous, strong off-piste skier.
Price: from €8,500 / person.
Frequently asked questions
When to go ski the Fjord of Eternity? April. The days lengthen fast, the cold still keeps the snow, and the sea ice hasn't closed these coasts — the window when the fjord is reached by sea. Our expedition sets out in April 2027, over eight days and seven nights.
What level for this ski and cruise in Greenland? A strong off-piste level and self-reliance. You skin for several hours, hold six days of skiing and feel at ease descending serious faces, in all snow and on sustained slopes.
Is it an expedition, properly speaking? Yes. You live aboard, push up an isolated fjord with no road or nearby rescue, and the programme adapts each day to the snow and the state of the ice. The group is led by a mountain pro — an off-piste-specialist instructor or IFMGA/UIAGM mountain guide depending on the terrain.
How do you get to Maniitsoq? You reach the west coast of Greenland via Iceland or Denmark, then Maniitsoq, where the Terschelling casts off. The travel details are arranged with you at booking.
How many skiers aboard? Twelve passengers, no more. The Terschelling is a former Dutch coastguard vessel, built in 1963 and refitted as an expedition ship, with an ice-strengthened hull.
How much does the expedition cost? From €8,500 per person. With places limited to twelve, it's best to hold an option early.
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