Fox & Franz Josef on your own
 

Is it reasonable to walk on either the Fox or Franz Josef Glaciers "on your own", without going on a guided walk? I do not mean for great distances, but for an hour or less walk? If it is, where do you suggest. Details would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Dennis

There is a barrier with a sign telling you that you cannot go past the sign.

I think they just had a rescue of two tourists who ignored the signs and had the ice collapse on them. I'm not sure if both survived.

In short, don't put the rescuers at risk, even if you aren't concerned about your own safety.

I just found an article on The Age website about the two men who went over the barriers at Franz Josef Glacier and had an ice cave collapse on them. One of them sustained leg injuries and luckily someone heard their cries for help. The two men were described as "bloody stupid" by the rescuers.

When my husband and I visited Fox Glacier, everyone was staying behind the barriers. Then one man decided he needed to go past them. Looked to me like he was going all the way up onto the ice. Well, people are sheep, let me tell you. Everybody who came next saw the people in front of them who had passed the barrier, so they just went ahead and did the same. Some of them weren't wearing proper footwear for ANY path, let alone an icy path. What I was thinking was this...that first man who crossed the barrier...in a way he set a bad example for everyone else, including for younger people. If anybody behind him gets hurt, I consider him partly responsible!

That is why when I am with my husband, who is a biologist, especially if any children are watching, I tell him to be careful about what he does. Children will watch you and copy you!

Anyway I am getting off the subject.

There is a barrier on the approach to the end of each glacier, warning you to go no further, as it is indeed dangerous. The melting ice front is collapsing, and there are near-quicksand conditions along the edge. The tunnels are tempting to enter, but as noted above, this is supremely dangerous and foolhardy.

The guided tours do not approach the glaciers from the front, which is too steep and unstable to ascend. Instead, they take a track that traverses the valley sidewall above the glacier. These trips eventually descend onto the glacier surface some distance from the end. Even so, conditions are a little dicey, with slick ice, crevasses, and steep slopes.

If you know what you are doing, you can walk the same trail and descend onto the ice surface, but it will take about an hour of walking to do so, i.e. you need at least 3 hours to walk there, walk around, then walk back. That is why the guided tours are at least 4 hours long. You also need to be properly equipped with crampons and an alpenstock or ice axe. If you don't know what you are doing, it is a prudent investment to take a guided walk.

Even then, it is by no means very safe. The tour operator allowed my 7-year-old daughter to go, which was (in retrospect) a mistake, as was the small group of superannuated Japanese tourists wearing long dresses and suits. The hob-nailed boots they supplied us were great on ice, but slippery on the bare rock we crossed to reach the glacier. We jumped across (admittedly small) crevasses with no rope protection. Nevertheless, we lived to tell the tale:
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