Chandra Prakash Singh Vohra did his schooling in Jammu and Kashmir and started his career with the Geological Survey of India (GSI). He spent his entire career with GSI becoming the first director of the Division for Snow, Ice and Glacier Studies and retired in 1994 as its Director General. A geologist by profession, he carried out several geological expeditions and is known to have visited many glaciers around the world. He participated in three Everest expeditions and summitted the peak in 1965, becoming the first Indian civilian achieve the feat. In 1973, he was part of a team that explored Antarctica and was successful in camping at the southern tip of the continent. He was the leader of the landing group of the First Indian Expedition to Antarctica in 1981.