I get it. Clear answers are required. Why would I try again after the spectacularly derailed attempt in March 2023? Why wouldn't I just let it go and shift my focus to our new home-turf in Southern Africa? - 

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Working through the photographic material of our first Ellesmere Island expedition made me understand that this was not just unfinished business. Not simply a defeat to be accepted, or a vain itch to scratch. Returning to the Canadian High-Arctic to search for Arctic wolves was a logical decision. Because if anything was wrong, it was the assumption that I could travel to Ellesmere once, get lucky, and return with a great portfolio and fascinating stories to share. As our photographic objectives become more challenging, so does the complexity of planning, organising, and undertaking these trips. More often than not, a single attempt at a difficult photographic task will not suffice. Success may demand additional experience to be gained first.

 

But winter camping expeditions in the High-Arctic are not just next level. They are off the charts in every aspect there is. To begin with, this adventure can only be tackled during a few weeks at the end of dark winter each year. Once a date is set with expedition leader Terry Noah, it takes meticulous planning of commercial flights, buffer days, and eventually the mission-critical charter flights between Resolute Bay and Eureka Weather Station. With transport confirmed, rock-solid preparation of photographic equipment and eventually packing with a detailed list in hand are required. Winter in the High-Arctic will not tolerate mistakes.

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Meanwhile, what happened on the ground? The expedition guides had to make their way from Grise Fiord to the position of our base camp at the eastern end of Slidre Fiord. They covered the roughly 550km north via ski-doo dragging qamutiiks loaded to the limit with tents, shelters, generators, spare parts, gas, cooking fuel, and food. The process was repeated before we reached. It took Terry and his team about two weeks to set up base camp here to the dot on 80° N., where the world is still frozen solid at this time of the year. North of us the remaining expanse of Ellesmere Island, and eventually 769km of ice from Cape Columbia across the Arctic Ocean to the geographical North Pole. The route Robert Peary took in April 1909 to become the first man reaching the North Pole.

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This is the first of four galleries that I will compile for our 2026 Ellesmere to Axel Heiberg Island expedition. The reason is simple: we have been incredibly lucky with observations this time. The very hard-earned photographic results, some documenting behaviour that has not been witnessed in such detail before, are beyond imagination. I will share more information in my blog and provide some behind-the-scenes impressions.

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This gallery contains photographs made on route from Ottawa to our base camp along Slidre Fiord near Eureka Weather Station, or at the mouth of Remus Creek, to be pindrop-precise. And it contains a side-quest dear to my heart: quality time spent with Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) on the outskirts of Resolute Bay.

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My profund thanks go out to our Expedition Lead Team from Ausuittuq Adventures, Terry Noah, Nolan Kiguktak, Silas Pijamini, and Aberham Kakkee, and of course to my fellow explorers, Katha Dittombée, Jess Jones, and Ben Cranke.

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I hope you enjoy what you find here!