British Empire Range, Ellesmere Island. Sponsored by the Explorer’s Club, this expedition was aimed at exploratory ski-mountaineering on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, above latitude 82°N. Our four-man advance party including Van Cochran, and Phil Trimble, John Stix and Sherman Bull, landed by Twin Otter on the sea ice of Yelverton Inlet on April 30. We spent the first week in reconnaissance of this little known area in cooperation with the Polar Continental Shelf Project, and in pursuing studies on the mechanics of sea ice. Temperatures were steady in the range of - 14° to - 20°F. Operations on sea ice were hampered by unconsolidated snow which precluded travel to a climbing objective to the west. After climbing a coastal peak of 2500 feet, we began route-finding up a glacier at 82° 15' N, 81° 50' W on May 8. Problems with deep snow continued inland and were compounded by a maze of deep ravines cut by summer melt streams; nevertheless, a peak of over 3500 feet was climbed about five miles inland. Then, on May 15, another Twin Otter brought Dan Emmett, Eric Rosenfeld and John Bruno to our sea-level camp. During the ensuing 12 days, we completed a ski exploration of the glacier system from the sea to its head over 16 miles inland, near a divide leading to the Milne Glacier, reconnoitered a dominant group of peaks exceeding 6000 feet to the north (P 6258) and climbed a snow peak of over 4500 feet on skis. On May 25, our efforts culminated in a climb of P 5915 at the glacier head (as indicated on NTS 1:500,000 Map: Challenger Mts. No. 560N½ & 340N½). For details see Canadian Alpine Journal 1983. This expedition was the first to climb in north Ellesmere at this early season and, starting from sea level, penetrated a totally untrodden, high-relief area of the British Empire Range. Our furthest point inland approached an area explored by a Royal Navy Expedition which descended the Milne Glacier in the summer of 1972; they climbed several peaks southeast of our High Camp. We carried Explorers Club Flag #200.

G.V.B. Cochran