What to Wear on a Heli Hike 2026: Franz Josef Packing List

Booking choice: The Franz Josef heli hike, from $528 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

Weather on the ice can swing from warm sunshine to wind and drizzle within a few hours, and you are moving the whole time. The trick is layers you can adjust, and trousers that move and dry.

The lists below follow Franz Josef Glacier Guides' own advice and the Viator listing for the heli hike.

The quick answer

Wear warm, breathable base layers such as merino (two to four upper layers), long trousers that are not jeans, and bring sunglasses and sunscreen. The operator provides boots and socks, crampons, a harness and helmet, a waterproof jacket and over-trousers, a hat, gloves, poles and a small waist pack. Leave backpacks, power banks, selfie sticks, vapes, lighters and drones behind.

Hikers in blue jackets and helmets walking in single file between ice ridges — Everyone wears the same supplied jackets, helmets and crampons.

What should you wear on the heli hike?

Warm, breathable base layers, two to four on your upper body, and long trousers that are not jeans.

Merino or polypropylene works best because it stays warm when damp. Tracksuit pants, leggings or quick-drying hiking trousers are all fine under the supplied over-trousers. Jeans are out: they are stiff, cold and slow to dry.

Kit sorted? The heli hike includes boots, crampons and waterproofs.

Check dates for the Franz Josef heli hike

What does the operator provide?

Everything technical and waterproof: you arrive in your own clothes and they kit you out.

Leather walking boots and socks
Crampons, a harness and a helmet
A waterproof jacket and over-trousers
Trekking poles
A warm hat and gloves
A small waist pack for your water and snack

A guide leading hikers in crampons and helmets through a corridor of blue ice — Crampons, helmets and jackets all come from the gear room at Glacier Base.

Do you need your own hiking boots?

No. You wear the leather boots and socks provided, which take crampons; wear any comfortable shoes to check-in.

Fitting happens at check-in, before the safety briefing, so arrive on time. The crampons are fitted to the supplied boots.

How cold is it on the glacier?

Milder than you might expect: about +5 to +15 C in summer and -5 to +10 C in winter, and from April to November 8 to 10 degrees cooler than the village.

Guests report that on a still, sunny day it can feel warm: one saw their guide hike in a T-shirt. Do not overdo the layers on a warm day, but bring enough to add if the wind gets up. A winter guest also found it surprisingly warm on the ice.

A hiker in a light jacket standing on a sunlit ice ridge — On a clear day the sun reflects off the ice and it can feel warm.

Do you need sunglasses and sunscreen?

Yes, both. The operator calls sunglasses essential, because the glare off ice and snow is intense.

If you forget yours, sunglasses are sold at the desk. Put sunscreen on before you fly, including your ears and under your chin, where the light reflects up off the ice.

What can you take with you?

Your phone or camera, a small water bottle and a snack, carried in the waist pack you are given.

Nothing is sold on the ice, and the trip takes up to four hours from check-in. Keep your phone on a strap or in a zipped pocket: you will want both hands free on the steps.

Arrive in layers, leave with photos: the heli hike gives up to 2.5 hours on the ice with all the gear supplied.

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Explore the Franz Josef heli hike

What must you leave behind?

Valuables, power banks and spare batteries, camera bags and backpacks, selfie sticks, vapes, lighters and drones.

Backpacks and camera bags do not go on the trip, and drones are illegal within 4 km of a heliport. Scenic flight operators in the village have similar rules: no bags, selfie sticks, lighters or tablets on board. Leave everything you will not need in your car or accommodation.