The day after getting off the Tasman Glacier Ryan Nicol and I were on the West Coast. We were meeting up with some friends and doing a Heli trip up to the Franz Joesph Glacier. Our plan was to ski tour from the Centennial Hut and explore the West Coast Terrain.
Day 1 The Approach to the Franz Joesph Glacier
Once in the air we were flying up the Franz Joesph Glacier. What would take us two days to walk up was a 20 minute ride.
We were dropped off just below the Centennial Hut with 5 days worth of food. We were prepared for the worst weather the West Coast could offer.
That afternoon we went up to a saddle where we could see the spot that the helicopter picked us up the day before.
The West Coast picks up huge amounts of moisture which is deposited as snow in the high country. Instead of being a moving glacier it felt much more like a plateau.
That night we had a perfect view of the sunset over the Tasman Sea.
Day 2 Ski Touring on the Minarets
The next morning we set our sights on the Minarets which is another 3,000 meter peak and steep descent.
We skinned up the lower slopes before getting into the steeper section. Soon we had crampons on and were making our way towards the summit of the Minarets.
It was awesome peering down the Western side towards the sea from the Summit but just as we prepared to descend clouds rolled in and we navigated down through the white out.
That night around sunset the weather cleared and we took in the late night alpenglow.
Day 3 Ski Touring Glacier Peak on the Fox Glacier
The next morning we went over West Hoe Pass leaving the Franz Joesph and heading towards the Fox glacier.
We set our sights on Glacier Peak which is another 3,000 meter peak and though we didn’t know if the crevasse in the middle would go we thought we would at least check it out.
Upon close inspection we found that there was a bridge but we weren’t sure if it would support us so we roped up in teams of two and made our ascent.
Soon we were past the crux and making our way up the final slope. Behind us was a stunning view of the Fox Glacier and the Tasman Sea below.
Once upon the summit we took in views of both the east and west coast as we waited for the corn to soften.
The run was steep, soft and exposed. Though amazing it would have been a different story if we had dropped in an hour earlier.
As we made it to the bottom of Glacier Peak there was a sigh of relief. It’s always scary riding a steep line above a massive crevasse but now we were staring back at our lines.
From the base of Glacier Peak we went back over West Hoe Pass.
Once back on the Franz Joesph Glacier we made our way back to the Centennial Hut for the night. It was a great day and a super fun line on the Fox Glacier.
That night we took in one last sunset from our vantage point over the Tasman Sea.
Day 4 Heading towards the Almer Hut on the Franz Joesph Glacier
The next morning we packed our gear into over sized backpacks and made a trip 1,000 meters lower to the Almer Hut.
This hut was built in 1914 and according to the local newspapers was “The Ski Mountaineering Mecca of the World”
But access isn’t like it used to be an the Franz Joesph is a tad bit more broke up so Helicopters are the primary exit.
The following day we explored up onto the Salsbury glacier but clouds started coming in and soon enough we were in whiteout conditions but I was able to snap this pic before things went bad.
Day 5 The Exit
The heli picked us up in whiteout conditions and stated “He wouldn’t fly if we had any cameras out” Long story short he hovered a few meters above the crevasse fields which is usually not permitted but this is New Zealand and heli pilots are the new cowboys.
It was a great trip exploring the Franz Joseph Glacier and hanging out with an awesome crew. These glaciers offer great spring touring options and I highly recommend the zone.
Thank you for reading and If you enjoyed reading this and want to see more ski tours within New Zealand check out this link