Ice, Ice, Baby!

Ski touring in the remote wilderness of East Greenland is an unusual and exciting experience. Even more so when you stay at Robert Peroni’s “Red House. ” The charismatic South Tyrolean once undertook one of the most spectacular expeditions across Greenland’s ice cap. Today, he is fighting for the future of the Inuit people. On the turboprop aircraft from Reykjavik to Kulusuk sits wellknown German TV host Markus Lanz, the fur-lined hood of his jacket pulled low into his face, a heavy camera bag on his lap. He is on his way to his beloved Greenland to take another welcome break from the media circus.

We, on the other hand, are traveling to meet Robert Peroni, planning to explore the mountains around Tasiilaq on touring skis from his lodge, the “Red House.” From Kulusuk, we continue by helicopter to Peroni’s adopted home, where we immediately fit the climbing skins to our skis. The route first leads flat and monotonous over the fjord ice. The frozen surface cracks underfoot and looks alarmingly thin in places. “It will be fine,” reassures Julius, Peroni’s local helper. Icebergs frozen into the pack ice shimmer in every imaginable shade of blue. In the distance, the vast inland ice glitters with mountain peaks that look like sugar-coated mushrooms. First, however, the infamous Piteraq storm forces us to spend days inside.

Time for Peroni’s backstory. In 1983, he set off with South Tyroleans Wolf Tomaseth and Pepi Schrott to cross Greenland’s ice cap at its widest point: 870 miles, without dogs, satellite phone, GPS or supply depots, hauling sleds weighing more than 440 pounds. Back then, 310 miles was considered the maximum without outside help. People predicted they would starve or freeze to death. In the end, they made it – reaching West Greenland after 88 days in the ice desert, on the brink of physical and mental collapse. Since then, they have come to terms with it. “I’ve thought about it a thousand times,” says Peroni. “These experiences had a profound effect on me. We pushed ourselves to our very limits and beyond.

It was one of the last great expeditions of the 20th century, very much in the tradition of the great explorers. However, it also reveals sides of yourself that you didn’t know existed. It leaves you feeling completely exposed.”

He claims to have grown milder over the years. Maybe that’s true – unless you ask him about Danish Greenland policy or Greenpeace and its long-running campaign against the killing of (northern Canadian) seals. His anger still flares. “Green-Piss,” as he calls them, destroyed the livelihood of Greenlandic hunters and apologized far too late, even though “this criminal organization” knows it helped bring Inuit culture to the brink. “The Inuit are allowed to hunt for their own needs, but they are no longer allowed to sell the skins. How is a family with ten children supposed to survive?” When Peroni gets worked up, he says “we” and means the Inuit. In his Red House and his travel agency, he employs around 70 Inuit, many of them former alcoholics.

“Drinking remains a big problem,” he admits. “But that’s no different in Scandinavia. The Inuit just don’t feel ashamed when they’re drunk: they look out the window and yodel – so it’s more noticeable.” The Inuit are well off with Peroni. Yet, the now 81-year-old worries about his legacy. His daughter Elke lives in Italy; there is no successor in sight. There were candidates, but the alpha-dog Peroni drove them away. Tourists adore him – the effusive entries in the guest book prove it. He is the star, and his guests want him just that way. When he speaks, everyone hangs on his every word – just like Reinhold Messner. 45Rider Martin Völker-Draxinger, Ruth Zeller

On our ski tours, there is time to let your thoughts run free. To reflect on Peroni’s tourism philosophy. He does not offer snowmobile tours, but relies exclusively on dog sleds. But can you really turn back the clock? Who can blame the Inuit for preferring the convenience of a snowmobile? Peroni, it seems, wants to preserve the original Inuit culture: “Nobody wants to hear about the old traditions anymore. It’s our fault – we made them believe they smell, that they gulp down bloody seal meat. Yet, the Inuit are a highly intelligent people. And still, their culture is in a slow but steady state of decline.” ai175878330739_AMP_240x300mm_Advertisement_25_Winter_SCOTT_Sports_DE.pdf 1 25.09.2025 08:55