What to wear for Heli-hike?
 

My DH & I are doing a heli-hike on the Fox Glacier in mid April. Can anyone suggest what type of clothing we should wear? Will we need long underwear layers and warm clothes (hats, gloves)? Or should the temps be more moderate? We're taking a charter flight from QT so I'm thinking we could also just bring a backpack & pack extra clothes in there if needed. I just don't want to pack extra warm clothes if it won't be necessary. Thanks!

Hi Angela -

Glad to hear you found a way to get to the glaciers from QT. Just curious, where does the plane land, on the airstrip near the glaciers?

We did the helihike in winter and we had jackets off and were in our short sleeves before the hike was over. The guides actually wore shorts. They advise against jeans, especially if it's wet, but that's what we wore as it's all we had. You probably don't need the long underwear, unless it's lightweight (like silk). You might want to wear a few layers on your upper body, and have a hat and maybe a pair of gloves. Don't overdress though, because it is a hike, and you could very well get overheated.

Thanks Melnq. I'm not sure where the plane lands; I know the hike is on the Fox Glacier. I was lucky to find Glenorchy Air is able to coordinate the entire trip for us. It's not cheap but since we're somewhat pressed on time it will save us the two days of driving to Fox so we think it's worth it.

I'm not worried about upper body layers - we both have good windproof waterproof jackets, but for pants I'm thinking of maybe getting some type of waterproof hiking pants (we'll definitely use them several times on this trip) and maybe layer some light long underwear underneath.

Mel - do you recall what the avg. temps were on the glacier when you were there?

Angela -

Waterproof pants with a pair of long underwear would probably be ideal. I have a pair myself (from LL Bean) which I always wear with a pair of silk long underwear (also from LL Bean) when I hike in NZ. Just remember that most waterproof pants don't breathe, so don't get too carried away with the other layers, or you'll end up being constricted and hot (well, I would anyway!)

It sounds as if your trip is coming together nicely. I hope you have a fantastic time!

Oops, missed your question about temps on the glacier - it's been too long and I didn't write that particular item down in my notes, so can't help, but we had a beautiful clear winter day. The views were awesome.

Thanks Mel - you've been a great help in planning! I just want to be sure to be prepared - & I hate overpacking stuff I don't need. =)