The following information is distilled from issues #1304-1309 of the RSGB DX News Sheet, published in February/March, 1988, and from EI2CL's useful page .


A joint USSR/Canadian skiing expedition, from Cape Artichevsky on the Severnaya Zemla Islands, Asiatic Russia coast to Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island, Canada, via the North Pole,  took place in March-May, 1988. The North Pole is 980km from Russia and 750km from Canada, a total distance of 1730km. The expedition set out on March 3rd.


This was a scientific expedition to make geomagnetic , glacial and meteorological observations, to conduct experiments in physiology and biochemistry to determine the limits of human endurance. The expedition was organised and financed  by Kosmolskaya Pravda (Socialist Youth Newspaper) and the Polar Bridge Company, a group organised by the Canadian participants, supported by commercial sponsors. All communications were handled by Amateur Radio.


The following callsigns were reported as QRV:

CI8C  - Base camp at Resolute Bay, Cornwallis Island

CI8CDX - North Pole

CI8CPU  - Resolute BayCornwallis Island

CI8CW  - Cornwallis Island

CI8HO  - Resolute Bay

CI8JH  -  Base camp at Resolute Bay, Cornwallis Island

CI8UA  - Ski team  - radio amateurs were discouraged from working this station as it was one of two communication links which the team could use as their 'lifeline'.

CI8XN  - Resolute BayCornwallis Island

CI8YQ  - King William Island

EK0AA  - Dikson Island

EK0DR  - Dikson Island

EK0QCG - Sredny Island - confirmation required that EK0QCG was QRV during the ski trek time-frame.

EX0AU - Sredny Island

EX0CR  - Sredny Island

EX0DR  - Dikson Island, Sedny Island & North Pole

EX0KP  - Sredny Island

EX0PM  - Dikson Island

EX0QCG  - Sredny Island

EX0VE  - Drifting ice station 

EX3HR  - Moscow Base Station

RA3AZ, UA3HR, UA3KP - Moscow

RW3DR - Pushkino, Moscow

RW3DR/VE8  - Baffin Island

UK0CI  - Ski team  - radio amateurs were discouraged from working this station as it was one of two communication links which the team could use as their 'lifeline'.

VO1SA/UA0  - Sredny Island

4K0D  - Drifting ice station

4K0BG - Drifting ice station

4K0DC  - Drifting ice station

4K0DR  - Drifting ice station

4K0DX  - Drifting ice station


Note: QSOs with drifting ice stations do not count for DXCC, and are mapped tINVALID  by Club Log. The zone is mapped to zone 40.