Welcome to Mount Thor in Auyuittuq National Park, Canada’s renowned 1,249-meter-tall mountain. In fact, it has a 105-degree overhang and is steeper than vertical. Adventure climbers like to come here often.
Location of Mount Thor
On Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada’s Mount Thor, also known as Thor Peak, is a mountain that rises 1,675 meters (5,495 feet) above sea level. It is part of Auyuittuq National Park. The peak, which is 1,250 meters (4,100 feet) above sea level and 46 kilometers (29 miles) northeast of Pangnirtung, has the highest vertical drop on Earth. The cliff overhangs at an average angle of 15 degrees from vertical.
What makes Mount Thor unique?
There is no other peak on the planet like Thor Peak. In the world of climbing, its abrupt west face is legendary, and it is the peak that tourists most frequently connect with Auyuittuq. Since the Penny Highlands mountains of Auyuittuq play a significant part in the life of the people of Baffin Island, the Inuit call Thor “Qaisualuk.” Thor, like Asgard, derives its name from Norse mythology. It is named after the powerful god of thunder who, with Mjolnir, ruled the winds and battled the ice giants.
On Baffin Island, in Auyuittuq (eye-you-ee-took) National Park, is Thor Peak. a park created in 1976 to preserve this unique place for future generations. It is located much closer to the park entrance than Asgard, along the eastern side of the Weasel/Owl river valley (Akshayuk Pass), about 4 hours past Windy Lake. With its steep slopes and wide avenue along which the glacier moved, Akshayuk Pas is an unusual glacial valley. It is believed that this is where the Pleistocene, or the most recent ice period in North America, began.
Some people believe Thor’s west face, a sheer, continuous wall of 1250 meters, to be the biggest on earth. Since the wall has an average gradient of 105 degrees, the majority of the climb involves a minor overhang, which adds to the difficulty. The Midgaarde Serpent route was the first Canadian route to obtain a new wave A5 grading, and on Thor, Canada’s first Grade VII route was built. Grade IV and V free rock routes have virtually endless potential here and on nearby summits; there are very few places on world like it.
How do you climb?
A vertical 4,000-foot granite wall is not easy to climb, as you might guess. Before an American crew of four ultimately succeeded in ascending Thor in May 1985, more than 30 previous attempts at the feat had failed. Even though they carried more than half a ton of food, gear, and gasoline up the cliff with them, the team was constantly in danger from things like falling rocks and running out of supplies. They spent 33 days climbing!
Every climber image from the ascent makes this quite visible, as there are few foot holds and even fewer notches for climbers to use to lift themselves up. In addition, the granite rock face of Mount Thor has a rough, relatively polished surface, which ups the difficulty of this ascent.
The summer months from mid-June to mid-August are the finest for climbing, yet if the weather cooperates, one can extend the season into early June or even the first week of September.
Winter itself is the biggest challenge in any other season, along with the normal logistical challenges like organizing transportation, local guides, etc. The return of storms to the region has the potential to compound all of this indefinitely.
Other Mount Thor activities
Camping
Camping is permitted. The only official location is close to Overlord Mountain, close to the Akshayuk Valley entrance. The other locations are referred to as random sites, which simply means to set up camp wherever you find a nice position. It would be best to stay away from the Weasel or Owl rivers and find a covered area because the wind can really whip through the valley.
Near the peak’s base, there is a shelter for Thor Peak that, based on my research, has room for 4-6 people. Additionally, there are huts on Asgard and at the park’s entrance next to Mount Overlord.
Paragliders and BASE jumpers
BASE jumpers and paragliders flock to Mount Thor in search of the greatest exhilaration by leaping off the highest cliff in the world (presumably after slamming a Mountain Dew). Due of the difficulty in sending rescue teams to the remote area, Auyuittuq Park has a special jumping ban, therefore Canada regularly prosecutes thrill-seekers foolish enough to take the shortcut back down to base camp.
Additional Activities in the Auyuittuq National Park
The Inuktitut name Auyuittuq, which means “Land that Never Melts,” refers to a region with a varied terrain, including jagged mountains, towering granite cliffs, the Weasel and Owl River Valleys, and the Akshayuk Pass, which winds past numerous glaciers erupting from the enormous Penny Ice Cap. Adventuresome hikers are making their way across the pass as dramatic melt water torrents and rivers roar into the fiords.
Most travelers come here expecting seclusion and silence as they go through the Arctic. You’ll experience a collision of expectations at Auyuittuq. The wind is channeled by the rock and glaciers along the route. The sounds of water splashing against rocks, rocks clattering against one another, and gravel and scree crunching add to the percussion. The sounds of surprise include the sporadic caw of a circling crow and the yip of a fox.
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