There are over 3,000 glaciers in New Zealand, and the main touristy ones are Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. This is where everyone stops to do a glacier hike or give ice climbing a try. Franz Josef is more popular, but Fox is actually a larger glacier. I decided to do my ice climb on Fox.
They supplied us with everything – helmet, boots, crampons (the spikes we used to grip the ice and climb with), socks, rain gear and everything we’d need for climbing. The boots were interesting. I got a stiff pair that reminded me of ski boots, but not nearly as bulky or difficult to walk in. Our crampons fit over top the boots, and we put them on once we reached the ice.
Walking out on the glacier was so cool. Where we started out there were stairs cut into the ice, leading us up onto the ice. These stairs have to be cut every day because the glaciers moves and melts so quickly, about 1m/day. Some of the guys were out there hacking away when we arrived, and it looks like a tough job. Our guide pointed out a crevice a few meters over that was where the stairs were a few weeks earlier, and said they’d probably only be using the current stairs for another week. Everything on the glacier is constantly changing and they just work with the glacier.
It took a bit of time to get used to walking in the crampons. I had to walk in a bit of a march, lifting my feet up high so I wouldn’t trip myself on a ridge in the ice. We hiked over the glacier to the area we’d be climbing. There were 5 of us in the group, and 2 guides. To start us of they had us practice moving across a low wall of ice (bouldering on ice), first using only our boots, then adding in the pick axes. It was so strange to move along the ice with feet only. I just wanted to grab something with my hands, but there was only smooth ice. I felt a bit better with the axes to grip, more solid. Getting used to using the axe was another story. We had to whack the ice a few times in the same spot for the pick to grip. To get it out it had to be pulled upwards from the ice. Not the easiest to do up on the wall with aching arms!
We had 3 ropes so the guides climbed up and set up 3 routes for us, starting relatively easy. I don’t have any idea how they secured everything, they just disappeared up the back of the glacier and got to work clearing away loose rock and screwing in the nails.
Ice climbing is nothing like rock climbing, except for the concept of climbing up. From what I understood the technique is a stepping up motion, digging in the toes, standing up, and digging in the axes. It was exhausting! Hard to get used to just using the toes and not the sides of the feet either. It was hard to trust my weight on just the short spikes from my toes dug into the ice. I slipped and fell a few times, and each time I had no idea I was about to fall. I can’t imagine trying to lead climb on the ice! That would be terrifying.
The ice was really dirty from all the rock, and swinging the axes caused sprays of ice and dirt to hit us in the face and fall on the people belaying down below. I finished 3.5 routes of the 7 they set up. As soon as there was a just a slight overhang, my arms were toast. A really fun day out on the glacier though!
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