Our expedition aims to travel to Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic to carry out an unsupported multi-week ski traverse of a little visited area, making ascents of unclimbed peaks along the way.
We will fly into the small airfield at Pangnirtung on the edge of the Auyuittuq National Park in early April and travel on Nordic skis whilst hauling our equipment in pulks. We will then use the expeditions mobility to reach both our two main climbing objectives and a number of other remote areas with little or no expedition history. Initially a local outfitter will transport us approximately 60km by snowmobile from where we will aim to traverse the mountains to the East of the Weasel River Valley in their entirety. The requirement to use snowmobiles in spring or a boat in summer to reach this area has resulted in this area being much less explored. We hope to find and climb many other peaks in a beautiful region on the edge of the Arctic circle.
The Route.
From the Kingnait Fiord the team will first ski towards the Rundle Glacier before traversing south to the Gateways Glaciers. The distance from our drop-off point back to Pangnirtung is approximately 110km but we expect to cover more than this exploring the area. Our main climbing objectives are marked (obj 1 & 2) as well as a number of other interesting and likely unclimbed peaks (red triangles).
The Team
Tom Harding (Expedition Leader)
He has been on trips all around the UK and Europe including; Lofoten, Dolomites, Senja, Rjukan and Cogne over a number of years. In 2017 he travelled to the Borkoldoy range in Kyrgyzstan making three first ascents including the expedition's 5044m main objective peak. In 2018 he was part of a 4-person team (with Leanne and Ben), who carried out an unsupported 250km Nordic ski traverse of Svalbard climbing its highest peak Newtontoppen (1717m). In 2019 he led the ‘Renland, Greenland 2019’ expedition, making ascents of five previously unclimbed peaks and a number of long rock routes In 2023 he was part of an expedition attempting an unclimbed peak, Gunsadhar (5740m), in N.E. Nepal.
Ben James
Ben’s passion for endurance sports has seen him take on many expeditions and challenges. He regular competes in Ultra Marathons and Sky Races across the UK. In 2017 Ben led an unsupported walking team across Iceland. In 2018 Ben attempted a continuous round of the Atlas Mountains 4000 metres peaks, being stopped by unprecedented snowfall which saw snow settle in the Sahara. The same year he took part in an unsupported Expedition to Svalbard (with Tom & Leanne), skiing 250km and climbing its highest peak, Newtontoppen.
Over the 2019/2020 winter as part of a two-man team, he completed an unsupported mid-winter Crossing of Iceland. Pulling pulks through appalling weather conditions this is believed to be the first winter crossing of its kind.
Leanne Dyke
Although it wasn’t till later in life that Leanne found the confidence to tackle more extreme outdoor sports since then she has never looked back. In 2017 she became the first female to traverse Nepal from North to South unsupported via kayak and in the same year her and her partner became the first British team to complete an unsupported crossing of Iceland via packraft with a source to sea descent of its longest river. In 2018 she helped organise a self-supported 250 km Nordic ski crossing of Svalbard via its highest peak alongside Tom and Ben. In 2023 she was part of the same expedition as Tom in N.E. Nepal attempting the unclimbed peak of Gunsadhar (5740m). Outside of remote expeditions Leanne is keen mountaineer and has ticked off 14 peaks of the ‘Alps 4000’ers’ list so far.
James Hoyes
James has climbed and skied widely in the UK and Alps since 1999. He has climbed 43 of the 4000m peaks in the Alps and completed over 60 Alpine routes at grade PD or above, including several big mixed Difficiles such as the Grandes Jorasses Traverse, Frendo Spur and Arête du Diable, as well as Alpine rock routes up to TD standard. He has also ski toured extensively in the Alps, completing around 10 multi-day hut-to-hut ski tours. In Scotland James leads up to grade V and has climbed over 60 routes at grade III and above. James has also climbed around 60 Munros and on rock he leads up to E1. James has only recently got into expeditions and he accompanied Tom and Leanne on the Gunsadhar (5740m) expedition to N.E. Nepal in 2023.
Check back closer to the Expedition for full information on how to track our progress.
With thanks to the following bodies for making this trip possible through funding grants;
British Mountaineering Council
Austrian Alpine Club
Arctic Club / Gino Watkins Memorial Fund
The Alpine Club
Mount Everest Foundation
With Sponsorship from;
Support by;
