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The glacier from the view point
...the start of the glacier was 2km from this picture!!The Ice Climb
We arrived at the small town of Frans Joseph, famous for it unique glacier that decends from the mountains into sub-tropical rainforest!! We had decided to book the 'Ice Climb' - which is the most difficult of the various expeditions on the glacier!! bring it on badger!
We left at 7.45am :o( ...headed towards the MASSIVE glacier armed with full-on sharp Crampons (sharp metal foot attatchments that aid ice climbing), ice axes..proper!!, helmets, harness, big-off climb boots, and waterproofs.
The Glacier itself doesn't look very big from the view point, until Mike & Sally, our guides, tell us it is a 2km walk jst to the start!! the closer we got, the more the sheer size of it becomes apparent!
We began climbing up ice steps carved every morning by the rangers...it took at least two hours to reach the huge walls of ice that we were to climb. Ice Climbing is pretty cool, and not too difficult to pick up. You start by ramming the two front spikes of your cramon into the Ice equally horzontal, then, slog both left and right ice axes into the Ice above yer head, you now have
a solid grip on the ice to pull yourself up! You then use this technique to climb the ice wall! Skitz!
We started by climbing a few easy walls, then when the group was more confident and our skills developed, we started to climb the more difficult walls!
Trekking through the Ice was fantastic - climbing through amazing Ice Caverns, drinking pure water from the melting ice walls, and loads of great views. The glacier moves (fluctuates) 4 meters a day!! ...which is increadibly fast, and is the only glacier outside Patagonia to decend into rainforest!
It was a great day out, well worth the dosh ($200 = 70quid)!
Love to you all
N & A
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Beresford E
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Wow
WOW WOW WOW!!! I would love to be there and am soooo jealous you wouldn’t believe. Not much goss from me but then I’m always the last to know everything! Everyone is going on their summer hols back here except me but now I think I'll be looking into going to NZ next year. Looks fab.