Some Journeys Wrap Up, Others Begin

This week, Canadians Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely finished their 28-day, 500km sled expedition from the little weather station of Eureka to Grise Fiord, the lone village on Ellesmere Island. Their objective was to begin in winter and travel overland as much as they could. Ultimately, they did about 60 percent on land and the rest on sea ice. Along the way, they saw 22 muskoxen, one Arctic hare, and 31 wolves. Some wolves passed directly through their camp.

 

The most ambitious expedition of this season is Borge Ousland and Vincent Colliard’s attempt at the first unsupported north-to-south crossing of Ellesmere Island. The seasoned duo are in Resolute and waiting for suitable weather to fly to their start point on Ward Hunt Island. The charter flight costs a cool $72,000. From there, they ski about 1,100km over three ice caps to King Edward Point, the southern tip of Ellesmere, then over the sea ice to Grise Fiord.

Northwest Passage

Spaniards Jose Trejo, Sechu Lopez, and Francisco Mira are two weeks into their sled journey to Gjoa Haven. To avoid open water in Barrow Strait, they flew by charter over the channel from Resolute and began skiing near Prince of Wales Island.

Since April 6, the team has covered around 125km. They report cold temperatures, heavy sleds, and soft snow. Early days included poor visibility and one storm-bound day. As they advanced south past Prescott Island, snow conditions varied — firm in the mornings but soft by midday, slowing travel. They plan to shift course southwest toward the small Tasmania Islands, off the Boothia Peninsula. The team has around 400km to go.

Norwegian Anders Brenna is approximately 27 days into his solo 1,100km sled journey from Gjoa Haven to Glenelg Bay on northern Victoria Island. He is currently located on the southeastern side of the unimaginatively named Royal Geographical Society Island. He reached it over the sea ice from his starting point on King William Island.

 

Baffin Island

 

The British foursome of Tom Harding, Ben James, Leanne Dyke, and James Hoyes were dropped off in the Weasel River Valley by snowmobile last week. Since then, they have traveled by sled to the mountains east of Akshayuk Pass, near the prominent Mount Thor. They reported reaching a summit on April 17, with GPS tracks also indicating a summit on April 15.

Northwest Territories

Norwegian veterans Bengt Rotmo and Randulf Valle are over three weeks into their 700km sled journey from near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, to Kugluktuk in northwestern Nunavut. They left from Great Slave Lake on March 25 and have progressed north through forest, frozen lakes, and tundra. In recent days, they reached Point Lake as planned, experiencing variable spring conditions including rain, crusted snow, whiteouts, and drifting snow.

They’ve encountered wolves, foxes, and caribou along the way. The team noted on April 16 that patches of spruce forest were beginning to show up on the open tundra. As they approach Napaktulik Lake, they may bump into local travelers over the Easter weekend.

Ungava Peninsula

 

Earlier this week, Samuel Lalande-Markon and Marie-France L’Ecuyer completed a 27-day, 400km ski crossing of Quebec’s Ungava Peninsula. They went from Akulivik to Kangiqsujuaq over 27 days, passing the Puvirnituq River, Qulusuttalik Canyon, and the Pingualuit Crater, while at times contending with strong winds and limited visibility.

Similarly, Canadian Dave Greene and two companions took 25 days to ski a 400km route also from Akulivik to Kangiqsujuaq. Their original intention was to finish in more distant Kangirsuk, but a fuel leak in their sleds spoiled vital food supplies.

Greenland

Japanese Arctic traveler Yasu Ogita has reached Qaanaq and is waiting for a helicopter to take him to Siorapaluk, the northernmost village in Greenland and the world. From there, he will embark on a 400km skiing expedition to the Cape Inglefield region and back.