Greetings just curious if anyone can pass along their experiences with the Franz Josef Glacier Guides and the Guiding Company Echo Tours?<BR><BR>We are hoping to take a heli hike in April while on the South Island.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Steve and Andrea

I just returned from NZ and did a heli-hike with Franz Josef Glacier guides, who use The Helicopter line. I thought the hike was a little more difficult than I expected. The glacier is very rough - you're not just walking on a smooth surface. The guide you get probably makes a difference. We went through several ice caves, which were beautiful. It was exciting and exhilerating - the helicopter ride was great. If you want me to send some pictures, give me your email address and I'll be happy to.<BR>Martha<BR>

We were booked to do a heli-hike on Fox Glacier in January, which was cancelled at the last minute because of foggy weather conditions. Fortunately the company had allowed me to book a glacier walk, as a back up, at no extra charge. The walk turned out to be huge fun, so my family was not too disappointed about the cancelled flight. Then we used all the money we saved (the walk is less than half the cost of the flight) on an extra adventure in Queenstown.<BR>Be sure to book a back up hike, just in case!

Greetings Martha and Lindsey<BR><BR>Thanks much for the information. We would love to see the pics if you have time to forward them. The email is [email protected]<BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Steve

Hi, I went on a heli-hike with them in 2000. The guide we had was really nice, fun and safety-conscious and carved out trails for us. If you live in a city that gets snow and ice, it won't be too hard for you to walk on the ice (they provide crampons).<BR><BR>Luckily we were in FJ for a couple of days to play out the weather. The 1st day we were there, all the helicopter trips were cancelled due to clouds. There's an activity desk in the center of town that has all available trips and we got in reservations through the desk.<BR><BR>The one thing we realized while we were there was that none of the trips are guaranteed. Agree with Martha regarding a back up. The flight was spectacular, however and would do it again. There are also many wonderful hikes in the area. There is also a hike from town that takes you to the face of the glacier. All the trails in New Zealand are incredibly well maintained and so beautiful!<BR><BR>Have fun! I'm so jealous, I want to go back so badly...<BR>Tina