Cirque of the Unclimbables Kluane Airways Ltd.

Cirque of the Unclimbables Long: 127.36 Lat: 62.08

Where are we located?

Kluane Airways Ltd. bases it's operations out of Inconnu Lodge, 180 air miles east of Whitehorse and 120 air miles north of Watson Lake, in Canada's Yukon Territory. We also have a fuel base and storage area at Finlayson Lake, 150 road miles north of Watson Lake on the Robert Campbell Highway.

Why choose Kluane Airways Ltd?

Kluane Airways Ltd with it’s unique location is able to offer the lowest pricing and logistics for trips into the Cirque of the Unclimbables in the NWT. Our tie in with Inconnu Lodge, a world class fishing and recreational resort in Canada’s Yukon Territory and Inconnu being only 87 miles from the Cirque, offer our clients a superb base to fly out of.

Inconnu Lodge is located 15 air miles east of Finlayson Lake, right on the flight path to Glacier Lake, the drop of location for the Cirque of the Unclimbables.

Kluane Airways Ltd does not just offer a flying service to the Cirque, we offer a full range of services. Hotels in Whitehorse can be booked via our office. If clients lose gear in route we can supply a good deal of climbing equipment, camp stoves, camp stove fuels, tents, foam mattresses and food.

On the way out of the Cirque, we usually overnight all our clients at Inconnu Lodge. This gives climbers a chance to shower up, wash their cloths, have a good meal and a beer or two or maybe soak in our hot tub or sauna for a while. The following morning we return to Finlayson Lake to your vehicle or to our shuttle for the trip back to Whitehorse. Accommodations and meals at Inconnu Lodge are complimentary of Kluane Airways Ltd.

How do you get to our base?

Most clients will find it is far easier to fly into Whitehorse then rent a car or hire a van out to Finlayson Lake. Others may wish to drive their own vehicle directly to our Finlayson Lake base. From Finlayson Lake we would fly directly to the Cirque or move climbers into Inconnu Lodge and wait for an available aircraft or for the weather.

Getting to the Cirque

Float plane into Glacier Lake, then a 7 - 10 hour hike into the Cirque.
Helicopter direct to the Cirque - More expensive.
Float plane and helicopter. 2 climbers fly directly into the Cirque via helicopter, then we shuttle via helicopter the remaining 2 - 4 climbers who have arrived Glacier Lake via float plane. This is still quite expensive.

Note:
If you plan to climb Proboscis, you will have to helicopter in. It is possible to climb over the ridge from Ferry Meadows, but one would not want to be moving much gear. It is quite steep and the rocks are very loose and unstable. Clients flying into Whitehorse would have to arrive the day prior to departure to Inconnu Lodge.

If you plan to fly into Whitehorse, you would use Air Canada from Vancouver or Air North from Juneau or Fairbanks Alaska and now Vancouver, British Columbia or Calgary, Alberta .

Whitehorse has a number of good stores to shop for food and supplies. It also has an outdoor store that carries a pretty good selection of climbing gear.

Communications

Kluane Airways Ltd / Inconnu Lodge now supplies at no cost to climbers a satellite phone that we locate at the Cirque. You can phone our base anytime to change your pick up flight or give us a call in case of an emergency. We are using the Global system.

If you are planning a trip into the Vampires you may rent a phone from us or bring your own. Note: We will not leave you in the Vampires without communication.

The daily rental fee is $30.00 CDN. A $2.00 per minute charge applies to all use. This system works very well and should only be used in case of an emergency or a change with your pick up time. Please contact our office for specific details.

Cirque of the Unclimbables 2008 PRICES

Whitehorse Pick - up

Clients would arrive Whitehorse the day prior to departure to Inconnu Lodge. There are two ways to get to the lodge, drive out in a chartered van or charter an aircraft and fly out to our strip. Driving takes six to seven hours and flying takes 1.2 hours.

Van Trip

Our 12 or 15 passenger van can depart from Whitehorse for Finlayson Lake any day. The trip is seven hours. You should plan on overnighting Whitehorse on the day you arrive. This will give you time to pick up any last minute supplies and you will depart for Finlayson Lake the following morning. You may need to plan an overnight at the end of you trip in Whitehorse depending on the flight schedule.

The roundtrip cost for the van is $2,560.00 CDN plus 5% sales tax . 4 - 8 climbers and gear is a comfortable trip.

Rented Car.

We recommend you rent your own vehicle as it is often less expensive than the van shuttle.

Quite a number of clients the last couple of years have rented their own vehicle in Whitehorse and drove themselves to Finlayson Lake. This allowed them to depart on pretty much any day. They left the vehicle at our base while they were in the Cirque. Budget Rentals in Whitehorse offers a weekly rate for an SUV or Mini-Van of aprox. $450 - $500.00 CDN per week plus tax and this includes 1400 km per week which is ample mileage to get you out to Finlayson Lake and back to Whitehorse. Phone Budget at 1-867-667-2732 or email at Budget@Whitehorsemotors.com. Their web site is www.budgetyukon.com. They also have a worldwide reservation phone number, 1-800-268-8900. A normal size SUV or Mini-Van should comfortably carry four climbers and all their gear.

If you rent a car, be sure you get a full size spare tire, not the skinny space saver tire that normally comes with it. The spare should be the same size as the rest of the tires.

Charter Flight

For those wanting quicker travel, you can charter an aircraft directly into our airstrip at Inconnu Lodge. If there are only two persons you would use a Cessna 185 at a roundtrip cost of $ 2,500.00 CDN plus 5% tax. For groups of three persons you would use a Cessna 206 at a roundtrip cost of approximately $ 2,900.00 CDN plus 5% tax. On groups of 4 or 5 persons we would use a Piper Navajo at a roundtrip cost of approximately $ 3,800.00 CDN plus 5% tax. Our office can arrange flights for you.

Drive right to our Finlayson Lake Float Base and save $$$

For those wishing to drive to the Yukon, you can drive right to our Finlayson Lake float base and save the costs of the Whitehorse pickup or drive. Our base is 150 miles north of Watson Lake and on the Robert Campbell Highway. This is a very good gravel road and may be driven easily with any car or truck. At Finlayson Lake we have a very secure storage area where clients can store their vehicles.

What happens in the case of poor weather?

Once at our Finlayson Lake base, if we have poor weather and are not able to fly into the Cirque, we would overnight clients at our Finlayson Lake cabin or fly clients into Inconnu Lodge to overnight. This gives everyone a place to hang out until things clear up. Meals and accommodations at Inconnu Lodge are complimentary of Kluane Airways Ltd. Mind you, if you stay too long at the lodge, we will put you to work! - Check out our Inconnu Lodge Web Site, a pretty nice base to jump off from!

Start and Finish you trip via Whitehorse

In flying into Whitehorse, you would use Air Canada out of Vancouver, British Columbia or Air North out of, Edmonton, Calgary or Vancouver. Both companies use Boeing 737's.

**Please note: You can charter the helicopter to get you into Ferry Meadows and then charter the Floatplane for your flight to Inconnu Lodge at the end of your climb. This will allow you to get into the Cirque fast and not have to hike up from Glacier Lake to Ferry Meadows. Inquire with our office for exact pricing for this combination or compute it from the examples below.

Van shuttle Costs

Whitehorse to Inconnu Lodge / Return
$ 2.560.00 CDN plus 5% sales tax per roundtrip van shuttle. Can take up to 8 guests comfortably.

Cirque Trips with Floatplane or Helicopter

Float Plane to Glacier Lake / Return

We use a Dehavilland Beaver for these trips and can handle up to 4 persons plus gear.

Sample Fixed Wing trip costs: 4 Persons - DHC-2 Beaver / 1200 lbs max.

4 persons Whse - Inconnu Lodge / Return

Costs:	$ 2,560.00 CDN via van
Flight from Inconnu Lodge / Finlayson Lake to Glacier Lake	$1,600.00
Flight from Glacier Lake to Inconnu Lodge / Finlayson Lake	$1,600.00
Sub Total	$5,760.00 CDN
5% GST	$288.00
Total cost for 4 persons	$6,048.00 CDN

Cirque or Vampire Peaks with Helicopter

Helicopter trips can handle two climbers and gear for a total weight of no more than 600lbs.

Sample Helicopter trips costs: 2 persons

2 persons Whse - Inconnu Lodge / Return

Costs:	$2,560.00 CDN
Helicopter into Cirque	$2,476.00 CDN
Helicopter out of Cirque	$2,476.00 CDN
Sub Total	$7,512.00 CDN
5% GST	$375.60 CDN
Total cost for 2 persons	$7,887.60 CDN

What is Included:

Van shuttle to & from Whitehorse

Flight into Glacier Lake, Ferry Meadows or Vampires

Overnight stay at Inconnu Lodge at the end of trip

Meals at Inconnu Lodge at the end of trip

Overnights and meals if delayed by weather at beginning or end of your stay

Hotels in Whitehorse:

There are a number of moderately priced hotels in Whitehorse. Once you have confirmed your trip, we will give you a few suggestions or book your rooms for you. We suggest the High Country Inn, GoldrushInn or Airport Chalet.

Booking your trip

To confirm a trip with us, Phone, Fax or E-Mail us at the address listed below. We require a 25% deposit to confirm a date. We except Visa and MasterCard. Balance is due 30 days prior to departure.

Our Kelowna office can assist you in booking your flights into Whitehorse as needed or assist you with instructions on how to drive right to our Finlayson Lake float base. They can also give you our summer phone number if you wish to contact us directly in the Yukon. We are usually at the lodge for the months of May to October.

Great Info links to the Cirque of the Unclimbables

Cirque Overview - George Bell

Climbing the Lotus Flower Tower

Cirque of the Unclimbables trip reports

Great links for those flying or driving

Air Canada

Air North. Yukon's Airline

Official Yukon Home Page

Topo Map #95L4 for Glacier Lake / Cirque of the Unclimbables

#95L3 for Britnell Creek / South Nahanni River

Gold Rush Inn

High Country Inn