Rich and I were both really looking forward to our heli-hike experience on the Franz Josef glacier. When the morning arrived we stepped out of our hostel and looked up at the glacier, with bright blue skies and barely a breath of wind, we couldn’t have picked a better day for our glacier adventure.
“Our pilot was swinging us round the mountain from left to right, diving down the side of it and then climbing the helicopter skyward again.”
We arrived at the Franz Josef Glacier Guides centre with plenty of time to get kitted out for the hike. There were hats, gloves, waterproof trousers, coats, socks, boots and crampons on offer. After taking the advice of our guide, Dale, we opted for the minimum we had to take – coats, socks, boots and crampons. With the sun shining brightly it was going to be warm up on the glacier, so we were happy to roam around in our shorts.
The heli-hike we opted for included a fifteen minute tour of the Franz Josef glacier and valley in a helicopter which was amazing. Fifteen minutes didn’t sound like a long time to me to be honest but once we were up in the air, our pilot was swinging us round the mountain from left to right, diving down the side of it and then climbing the helicopter skyward again.
“As you can imagine Rich loved the helicopter ride!”
I grabbed Rich’s arm twice as the helicopter rotated forwards to give us views of the glacier directly below us. Facing down to earth doesn’t sit comfortably with me or my stomach, so I was happy when balance was restored and the sight seeing continued with the helicopter in an upright position. As you can imagine Rich loved the helicopter ride!
The fifteen minute tour provided us with fantastic views from the sky. Following the glacier valley up to the top of the mountain, we could clearly see where the glacier had receded. The grey rocky valley exposed by the glacier retreating was stark compared to the mountain sides with lush green vegetation, water falls and an abundance of life within it.
“We put our crampons on, took a deep breath and took those first few steps.”
As we flew across the top section of the glacier, we could see the numerous crevices that made the surface look like a dangerous place to be and not one for humans to walk around! Our helicopter tour finished with a landing on a helipad marked out by rocks laid out on the ice, in between the jagged ice further up the glacier and the face of the glacier down below us. This was our ‘safe’ area for exploring on foot, with our trusty guides of course.
Once on the ice we took a few moments to look around us and acclimatise to the setting we were in. As our helicopter flew away, we were just tiny people on a massive glacier with nothing else to do but explore. We put our crampons on, took a deep breath and took those first few steps, building trust in our crampons with every step we took.
We hiked around the glacier for around an hour and it was a really pleasant environment to be in, despite the obvious dangers. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and it was warm with a cool breeze, perfect conditions.
Rich took on the challenge set by our guide to squeeze through a tiny crevice in the ice and we posed for photos in ice caves and as we walked along. Thankfully it was a very carefree experience.
As we hiked, Dale shared some of his knowledge about the glacier with us. Since 2008 the glacier has been in a phase of retreat, something that happens in cycles with the glacier advancing as well, with the changing conditions at the snowfield at the top of the glacier.
“We soaked up the sights knowing that if we were to ever return, it would be a very different place.”
Stood on the glacier we only had to look at the mountainside to see the clear delineation where the glacier had been only a few years ago.
As we continued our hike we soaked up the sights knowing that if we were to ever return, it would be a very different place. That’s the nature of a glacier that continually advances and retreats after all.
We made our way back down towards the helipad, using ropes and steps carved into the ice by our guides with axes to descend safely.
With a short helicopter ride back to Franz Josef town centre we were whisked from a foreign landscape to an all too familiar one. The quiet sereneness of the glacier post hike felt magical. It was a truly exceptional experience.
It’s hard to know what to do after completing something so epic. For us, we headed to the Glacier Hot Pools to rest up, relax and reflect on a great day.
Lambs on the loose 