Canadian Arctic Holidays

   Richard has participated in 45 arctic expeditions, including 7 north pole expeditions. He has the Order of Canada, the Ondaatje Medal from the Canadian Geographical Society as well as other awards and medals from Canada and Russia. He and his family operate Arctic Watch on Somerset Island. He is an avid cross-country skier. Cliff’s son worked at the lodge for a summer.

   In 1992 he and his family purchased a whale watching camp on Somerset Island. There are hundreds of Beluga whales there from early July to mid-August. There are also muskox and polar bears. Somerset is in the middle of Canada’s arctic islands, 1500 kilometers from Yellowknife. It is a 20-minute flight from Resolute Bay. All fuel and food must be brought in. The camp has tent-like buildings which he said are very good in the weather but are not bear proof. The water is pumped up the hill to a tank which operates the camp’s water by gravity. Sewage is taken from the camp to a locally constructed lagoon. Electricity is from a generator—summer is only 6 to 7 weeks long so solar or wind generation are not practical. His initial problem was a short gravel air strip that pilots were afraid to use. He brought in a bulldozer in a weeklong journey over the ice—the ice was barely thick enough and on occasion they laid planks and plywood to distribute the weight. The air strip eventually had to lengthened again to 4000 feet and all rocks removed. They now have a GPS assisted approach allowing landings with minimal visibility. ATR 70 passenger turboprop aircraft can fly there directly from Yellowknife. Supplies are sent by ship to Resolute Bay and must then be flown to camp. In the past they have been able to snowmobile from Resolute Bay to camp, but this is no longer possible as there is no ice. Their clients are largely from North America. They are fully booked this year, almost fully for 2023 and are booking into 2024. Their season is only 6 to 7 weeks. Cost is $16,000 per week. Guests can watch whales, hike, kayak and fish for Arctic Char.