FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER

Rachel and I got up early feeling very nervous about the Franz Josef Glacier climb. We had heard from a lot of people that the all day trek is very arduous and that we might find it too much. But both of us were determined to do the full day. We felt that we would be disappointed in ourselves if we turned back after half a day. We also knew that we were not as fit as we possibly could be to attempt the climb.
With that in mind we arrived at the office to get kitted up. They give you waterproofs, boots, hats, gloves and a bum bag with your crampons in. You also get told that if you do the full day but need to turn back and be taken off the glacier, you pay for the cost of being taken off by helicopter, so you have to be sure you want to do it. After a little chat Rachel and I reaffirmed that we were in for the longhaul!!
We boarded the bus that takes you to the start of the Franz Josef Glacier. Then you have to walk 2km over the river bed. To where the ice starts
The unique combination of climate and shape means that Franz Josef and the nearby Fox Glacier move at approximately 10 times the speed of other valley glaciers around the world. Glaciers constantly advance and retreat, held in delicate balance by the accumulation of snow gained in the upper glacier and ice melting in the lower part. An increase in snowfall at the neve will result in the glacier advancing. Correspondingly a faster melt will result in the glacier retreating. At times Franz Josef can move up to 5m a day. That is over ten times as fast as glaciers in the Swiss alpes. Nowhere else at this latitude have glaciers advanced so close to the sea.
We all stopped at the base and got instructions on how to attach the crampons.(they are metal spikes that fit over the boots to help you stay upright on the ice)
The glaciers are very steep so the ice can travel a long way before it finally melts. We now had to climb the mighty cascades of ice. A specialist guide went ahead to carve out our route for today. It changes constantly so he works out our safest route.


We divided up into smaller groups and the advance party cut steps out of the ice in some of the steepest bits. We went in the last but one group so that the paths had been well and truely cut out of the ice for us.
It was still hard going in sections and our guide hacked away at the steps that needed widening when we got to them. Other sections were roped. We where given instructions on how to hold onto the ropes as we climbed. It was very exciting and the views were amazing, so at times you did not really notice how hard it was to climb. We also went through some very narrow ice passages.


We were lucky again with the weather, there was sunshine all day. We had our thermals on but managed to take our jackets off for most of the climb. It was fantastic to look back and see just how far we had climbed when we sat on the ice for your break.
Our guide was always warning us that all around us there were sharp drops and deep holes we could fall into. That hit home when Rachel slipped on the ice as we were taking a break and we just managed to grab her before she went over the side..it was very scary!

(I did not use the axe ...it was heavy enough just holding it to pose for the picture)

We spent six and a half hours on the glacier itself. Later in the day when the sun went in the temperatures fell dramatically and at the same time we got really tired.

So the climb down and the 2km walk to the bus over the rough terraine really did wipe the smile off everyones faces. We just wanted to get back to the hostel to rest and get warm. We were well and truely shattered by the time we arrived back at the hostel. We could only just muster up enough energy to eat a takeaway and slob by the fire. But we were both very proud of ourselves for doing the whole day climb. We would not have missed it for the world.