Bucket List / Adventure Travel Goals
Walk On A Glacier
Ticked off in March 2010
Crampons on, and step onto a frozen river of blue crevasses, glowing ice caves and ice that's centuries old.
The adventure
Strap on crampons, take the first crunching steps onto the ice, and the world changes colour. A glacier is a river frozen in slow motion, and up close it's full of movement and sound: meltwater gurgling through channels, deep blue crevasses dropping out of sight, sculpted seracs and caves glowing an electric turquoise where the ice is oldest and densest.
On Iceland's Sólheimajökull, black bands of volcanic ash stripe the surface. In Patagonia, Perito Moreno pushes a wall of ice around 70 metres high into Lago Argentino, and you might hear a chunk the size of a house crash into the water. In New Zealand, helicopters land you high on Franz Josef or Fox, where the ice tumbles down towards rainforest. With a guide cutting steps and checking the route, it's an adventure almost anyone can do, and one that's changing fast as the world's glaciers retreat.
Why it’s epic
- Ice so dense it glows deep blue in crevasses and caves.
- Hiking on Perito Moreno in Argentina, whose ice front rises around 70 metres above Lago Argentino.
- Heli-hiking on Franz Josef or Fox Glacier, which flow down towards rainforest on New Zealand's West Coast.
- Ash-striped ice on Sólheimajökull, an easy drive from Reykjavík along Iceland's south coast.
What it is
A guided glacier walk uses crampons to explore crevasses, ice caves and seracs.
How to do it
Popular options include Sólheimajökull in Iceland, Fox and Franz Josef in New Zealand and Perito Moreno in Argentina.
Top tip
Never walk on a glacier without a guide.
Need to know
- Always go with a certified guide, who provides crampons, a helmet and harness and knows where the crevasses are.
- Glaciers change constantly, and Franz Josef and Fox are now usually reached only by helicopter.
- Iceland's natural ice caves are usually only safe to visit from about November to March.
- Wear warm, waterproof layers and stiff walking boots, even on sunny days.
Do it yourself
My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
Over to you
Is “Walk On A Glacier” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.