In 1957 he began 16 years of research on Ellesmere Island. As part of the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958) he went to Lake Hazen and until 1973 worked either there or at Ward Hunt Island. In 1963 he set up a camp and conducted field research at Tanquary Fiord. The teams that he led named over 50 features on Ellesmere Island, such as Barbeau Peak, the highest mountain on the island and Turnabout River. In 1961 he became the first person to climb Mount Whisler, second highest peak on Ellesmere, and on 5 June 1967 led the second team to reach the top of Barbeau Peak that day.