What to wear on a Fox Glacier heli hike

Fox Glacier Guiding says that on its Flying Fox heli hike it provides leather boots, socks, crampons, walking poles, a waterproof jacket, overtrousers, hat and gloves, plus a backpack.¹ That list covers the heavy, technical and wet-weather kit, which is why the packing question on this page is mostly about what goes underneath the shell, and about what stays out of the helicopter altogether.

The order of events matters, because boots and crampons are not put on at the same time. Guests are equipped with leather walking boots before they board the helicopter for the first flight over the lower icefall.⁶ The spikes come later: at the landing site on the ice, the guide fits crampons designed for the ice conditions, and everyone follows the ice steps the guide cuts.⁷

Crampons are simply steel spikes that clip under a boot so that it bites into ice. The operator's page for its all-day trip describes them as ice-hiking spikes, and says guests put them on after landing, before walking the steep upper icefall.⁸ Since both are issued, there is nothing to buy or rent in the village, and nothing to break in. Ask your guide before layering your own socks inside the boots. A walk on Fox Glacier is, in the end, a walk in borrowed boots.

West Coast weather changes quickly. The operator says New Zealand weather is noted for delivering four seasons in one day at any time of the year, and asks guests to dress with that in mind.²⁰ It also says the temperature at Fox Glacier can vary between 0-25 degrees Celsius, in a region it calls notorious for wild and wet weather.¹⁵

On the ice itself the operator reports typical temperatures of +5 to +15 degrees Celsius in summer and -5 to +10 degrees Celsius in winter.⁵ Both ranges depend on the day, so read them as a spread, not a forecast. A neighbouring operator, Franz Josef Glacier Guides, adds that from April to November the ice can be eight to ten degrees cooler than Franz Josef township, with wind chill making it feel colder still.²¹

No weather station sits on the glacier. The nearest long NOAA record is Hokitika Aerodrome, a coastal airport 114 km away, so it describes the coast and never the ice.²² Its average daily high is 11.7 °C in July and 21.2 °C in January.^22,22 Use the figures only to see how far the seasons swing, and take the operator's ice temperatures for the actual dressing decision.

Some mornings the cloud sits too low to fly. The operator makes its final weather decision for each trip 10 minutes before departure, so you will not know until you are at the base.²⁴ Packing one dry change of clothes in the car turns a cancelled flight into a plain valley walk with no fuss, and a rebooked slot into a second try.

The valley walk calls for a different kit. Glacier Country advises always taking warm and waterproof clothing for walks here, because the weather can change rapidly, along with drinking water, insect repellent and sun protection.²⁵ Waterproof shoes with grip are worth more on the valley track than any fleece, because the track passes through rainforest and over damp moraine.

The Department of Conservation notes that Westland Tai Poutini National Park lies in the path of the prevailing westerly winds, which can bring heavy rain at any time of the year, with up to five metres falling annually.¹⁹ So a rain shell belongs in the car every day of the stay, even when the heli hike is booked for a sunny forecast and the shell is supplied on the glacier.