In the icy expanse of Baffin Island, far above the treeline and beyond the reach of roads, one peak rises like a god from the granite earth. Mount Thor, located in the unforgiving landscape of Auyuittuq National Park, is not just a mountain—it’s a natural monument to verticality, solitude, and awe.
What makes Thor truly extraordinary is its record-setting vertical drop: a 1,250-meter wall of pure granite that tilts back at an average of 105 degrees, forming a sheer and slightly overhanging face. This makes it the highest vertical drop on Earth, an accolade known to only a few due to the region’s extreme isolation.
Named after the Norse god of thunder, Mount Thor lives up to the myth. Towering above the Akshayuk Pass, its presence is thunderous in silence. Reaching it is not simple—it requires a multi-day trek through one of the most pristine and harsh environments on the continent. But those who make it are rewarded with a view that feels like standing at the edge of the world.
The park’s name, Auyuittuq, means “the land that never melts” in Inuktitut, and it’s a fitting description. Glaciers, ice fields, frigid rivers, and jagged peaks dominate the landscape. There are no roads, no services, no towns. Pangnirtung, the closest settlement, is accessible only by air or sea.
Mount Thor is not just for elite climbers (though it has attracted some of the world’s best for epic ascents and the longest rappel ever recorded). It’s a destination for anyone drawn to nature’s extremes: geologists, photographers, wilderness trekkers, or simply those who want to stand before something colossal and wild.
There is no cell service, no rescue stations—just you, the mountain, and the sky. And in that raw silence, Mount Thor looms not just as a geological wonder, but as a reminder of nature’s unforgiving and magnificent scale.
