Saturday 11 October 2008

Mount Asgard

[1]


According to Wikipedia:

“Mount Asgard is a twin peaked mountain with two flat-topped cylindrical rock towers, separated by a saddle. It is located in Auyuittuq National Park, on the Cumberland Peninsula of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. The peak is named after Asgard, the realm of the gods in Norse Mythology. Mount Asgard is perhaps the most famous of the Baffin Mountains.

In 1976, stuntman Rick Sylvester performed a BASE jump off the mountain for the opening sequence of the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, although the fictional setting was the Alps.

There are no trees in the Baffin Mountains because the mountains are north of the Arctic tree line. Rocks that comprise the Baffin Mountains are primarily deeply dissected granitic rocks. It was covered with ice until about 1500 years ago, and vast parts of it are still ice covered.



[2 – Satellite map of Baffin Island, mountains in north-east portion]

The Auyuittuq National Park was established in 1976. It features many of Arctic wilderness, such as fjords, glaciers and ice fields. In Inuktitut - the language of Nunavut's Aboriginal people, Inuit - Auyuittuq means “the land that never melts”. Although Auyuittuq was established in 1976 as a national park reserve, it was upgraded to a full national park in 2000.

There were Inuit settlements in the Baffin Mountains before European contact. The first European contact is believed to have been by Norse explorers in the 11th century, but the first recorded sighting of Baffin Island was Martin Frobisher during his search for a Northwest Passage in 1576.”

While looking for interesting material for posts, I have come across a variety of items which I thought might interest others. This is one of them. Please comment if you would like more.




Photo credits: [1]-Ansgar Walk, CC-sa-2.5, [2]-wikipedia.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a magnificent photo of Mount Asgard Barbara. I am not suprised it featured in a film. Rick Sylvester must be a very brave stuntman, however to me, that majestic scene lends itself more to science fantasy. How many protagonists have made their way across such scenes, separated by that saddle!Yes, more please - you have an interesting array of stories and scenes, always!Thank you for your visit and recent comment.

Webradio said...

Always beautiful photos here, Barbara...
And the text explains well the site...
See You later.

Wynn Bexton said...

Hi Barbara, I connected with you via my website. We are both Canadians (I'm from Vancouver). I notice your entries here and wondered if you might having anything that would fit in with my TRAVEL THRU HISTORY web site. Please check it out
www.travelthruhistory.com

Thanks for reading my blog. I've been rather remiss lately, with so many other things on the go.
Will try to get back to yours too.

Anonymous said...

Mount Asgard reminds me of the Aiguille du Midi whose "sole" summit is also flat, located in the Alps in France.
Bravo again for your very interesting blog.

Mihai A. said...

It looks marvelous. And even though I'm not passionate about climbing I still enjoy mountain views :)

Tess Kincaid said...

Satellite map photos are always so intriguing.

Barbara Martin said...

Pam, stuntmen are well paid for their endeavours. The landscape is suitably challenging for anyone who dares to venture there.

Webradio, thank you.

Wynn, I'll check out your history site for sure.

François, interesting parallel.

Dark Wolf, welcome. I am more of a hiker than a climber as I have a fear of heights. Companions have been able to get me past tricky spots.

Willow, they show the lay of the land well. It's an excellent tool for research of an area for imagining new landscapes for creative works.

Charles Gramlich said...

Beautiful. Stark, wild. Doesn't look terribly inviting but I'd still like to spend a few minutes there. Wish I had the talent the guy had in Jumper.

Barbara Martin said...

Charles, I posted this because of the remoteness. A truly inhospitable place.

David Cranmer said...

That opening scene from the Bond film can still take one's breath away. Great stunt, beautiful pics, and now I know the rest of the story. Thanks.

laughingwolf said...

another range i had no clue about, thx barbara....

Steve Malley said...

That mountain-- wow.

Barbara Martin said...

David, the behind the scenes story do tend to be quite interesting.

Tony, of the Canadian Arctic there are a few things I do know, but will be posting those I learn to share.

Steve, I agree.

Arija said...

I really enjoy your historical and visual perspectives of Canada's naturar beauty. Do keep it up.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Probably the coolest mountain top, isn't it?

BernardL said...

Everything interesting you so far, also interests me. :)