Auyuittuq National Park

Auyuittuq means the 'land that never melts.' Auyuittuq is home to the Penny Ice Cap, a 6,000 square kilometre ice cap that is a remnant of the last ice age. This is a park of breathtaking grandeur. Enter through the Pangnirtung Fjord at the entrance to the park. Use the cable crossing across the Weasel River to reach Summit Lake and Glacier Lake which is frozen for most of the year.

The Arctic Circle passes through the park and is marked by an inukshuk that has been in many a tourist's photographs. Schwartzenback Falls can be seen off in the distance as you trek towards Mount Thor. Mount Thor is the largest uninterrupted cliff face in the world. It is a popular destination for rock climbers.

Auyuittuq Park is also home to Mount Asgard. This mountain is surrounded by glaciers and can only be climbed for a short time each year late in the summer. Mount Asgaard was featured in the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me."

Cable car over the Weasel River

Mount Asgard

Beautiful Glacier Lake

Mount Thor- a cliff climbing mecca

Climbing down Mount Thor

Climbing the Cliffs of Mount Thor

Mount Thor is one of the most distinctive landmarks within Pangnirtung Pass. It is on the east side of the Weasel River, about a four hour hike past Windy Lake. The 4,000 foot sheer cliff face attracts technical and sport climbers from around the world.

For climbers, the 1,000-metre overhanging west face of Mount Thor – with an average angle of 105 degrees – and the 800-metre west face of Mount Asgard in Auyuittuq National Park are formidable challenges.

Big wall Grade VI aid routes have been established on both of these peaks, as well as on other walls in Auyuittuq National Park. As well, the peaks of the Weasel Valley and the Sam Fjord area (Clyde River) offer limitless potential for new free-climbing Grade IV to V routes. Many peaks in Auyuittuq National Park have been scaled in the last few decades with new routes established virtually every year.