Winner of American LTG Awards
2016-2017-2018
Rugged Beauty in Greenland
Meet Arne Hardenberg
One man who understands the pull of Greenland’s wild only too well is Arne Hardenberg. Since 2009, Arne has been the owner of Greenland Extreme Aps – a highly specialised tour company that offers exclusive adventure opportunities for visitors, including heli-skiing, hunting, ski-touring and fishing. Operating expert tours in such a demanding landscape is no mean feat, however, Arne has a background that reveals how immensely qualified he is to do so. Arne spent 12 years as a professional athlete in alpine skiing, during which time he competed in numerous international competitions including the 1998 Olympic Games and five World Championships . On finishing his professional career, Arne became a coach for the Danish National Ski Team and shortly after the Greenlandic National Ski Team. He himself continued the sport he loves by participating in the world’s toughest 160km cross country skiing event in the world between 2007 and 2012. Alongside his skill in skiing he is tremendously accomplished in yachting, mountain hiking, and glacier touring.
This impressive career history is bolstered by an assortment of additional accolades. Arne has completed all three stages of an avalanche course at the American Avalanche Institute, as
well as achieving a qualification in Outdoor Emergency Care with the National Ski Patrol in Canada. He also possesses a number of honorary positions including being a member of the board of The Greenlandic Ski Federation. These attributes further demonstrate Arne’s unparalleled abilities as a tour guide.
Arne resides in Nuuk (Greenland’s capital city) with his family, and for the last six years he has worked with children with social problems by helping to rehabilitate them through sport. He has also managed two of Greenland’s largest sport shops, imbuing him with exceptional knowledge on outdoor sports gear, particularly that which is suitable for arctic conditions. Arne speaks Danish as his native language, some Greenlandic, and English, Swedish and Norwegian fluently.
Arne Hardenberg Danish Olympian, 1998
In winter, Greenland is the numb silence of arctic deserts glinting beneath the kaleidoscopic glow of the Northern Lights; in summer, it is the ethereal light of the midnight sun and the unhurried glide of glistening icebergs splitting from ancient glaciers. Greenland is the planet’s largest island with the world’s sparsest population. However, what it does not possess in inhabitants it makes up for in raw and untamed natural wonders. A visitor to this bleak isle will be treated to drifting fjords, looming mountains, steely shorelines, and grassy sheep farms; landscapes that will pierce onlookers with a feeling of awesomeness that is hard to find outside of the Arctic Circle. Brightening the weathered hues of this land is a warm and adventurous population who inhabit vibrant wooden cottages, scattered throughout towns and villages in mostly coastal regions.
Travellers should not fear Greenland’s geographical isolation, residential sparseness, or barren wilderness. It is these things that characterise the nation and ignite passion in all who experience it, and by all means, Greenland offers more than just astounding scenery. The island embodies a blend of Inuit and Danish culture which has been strongly rooted in hunting and fishing for centuries. Such a history has spawned a unique cuisine which relies on the meat from marine animals; a distinctive art scene where stone, bone and leather are used to create rare treasures, and a rapidly developing architecture which combines traditional Greenlandic style with Nordic design. Despite a thriving culture, this vast country is best known for the outdoor adventure opportunities presented by its diverse environment. Watch a humpback whale explode out of the glassy ocean depths, plunge into a natural hot spring for the ultimate relaxation, or hike a backcountry trail where urban sprawl is a modernism that thankfully never reached Greenland’s shores.
Thrilling Adventure
with Greenland Extreme Aps