Fox It Up Heli Ice Climbing

We recommend you book in advance so you don’t miss out on this amazing experience. You can easily book with us online, or contact us via phone or email.

We suggest booking for your first day in Fox Glacier, as our experiences are weather dependent.

Check-in time is 20 minutes before departure.

No previous experience is necessary for our trips, our guides are there for full instruction.

Moderate fitness for this trip is a level of fitness sufficient to ascend and descend 500-800m over 4-6 hours carrying a light pack 10kg (22lb).

Good fitness for this trip is a level of fitness sufficient to ascend and descend 1000m+ over 8 hours or more carrying a pack 12kg (26lb) or more over multiple days.

Yes, all trips require 3 people to go ahead (with the exception of the Mt Fox Day Hike which requires 2 people). If you have less than 3 people in your group, we will do our best to put you on a trip with other people.

For this trip, you need to bring any essential medication, 3-4 layers of warm upper body clothing, sunglasses and sun protection, a drink and snacks, and a camera. No drones are allowed and jeans are not recommended.

As the weather in this alpine environment can change quickly, on rare occasions, we are unable to have helicopter access to the ice when a group is already on the ice.

In times when this happens, we will endeavour to find a break in the weather that is safe to allow helicopter access, however, should this not be possible we have emergency supplies stored on the glacier for this scenario. We have tents, sleeping bags, roll mats and food etc that can be accessed in case they are needed. All our guides are trained in setting up a camp site on the glacier for the night if required.

It is essential that you bring with you any medication that you may need for an overnight duration when you join our trips in case your time on the ice is extended.

Both the Extreme Fox All Day Heli Hike and Ice Climbing Trips require customers to have a very good level of English in order to participate. 

This experience uses technical equipment to travel on raw glacier terrain. As you are out all day learning to use this equipment and navigating natural features it is mandatory that you can communicate, comprehend, and follow instructions to a very high level. This is for everyone’s safety and presently instruction is only given in English.

If you book this experience and the guide on the day deems your English is not good enough, he/she will not allow you to join, and other options will be given to you.

On this trip, we provide leather boots, socks, crampons, walking poles, a waterproof jacket, overtrousers, a backpack and a great day on the ice!

We’re located in a mountainous area and are subject to great variations in weather patterns. The temperature can vary between 0-25°C and the West Coast is notorious for its wild and wet weather – hence its magnificent rainforests!

Weather and cloud levels can change within a matter of minutes. This is why our weather checks are not made until 10 minutes before your departure time.

There is an individual passenger weight restriction of 116kg/256 pounds on all our experiences that utlise helicopters. Please contact us on info@foxguides.co.nz or 0800 111 600 (within New Zealand) if you would like to join a trip and are over this weight limit.

There is a 3 kg or 6.6 lbs limit per passenger for carry-on baggage. By travelling light, the easier the day is for you, and your body and it is good for the planet as lighter helicopter loads use less fuel. Please take only what is necessary for your glacier trip.- Camera, snack, water bottle & an extra layer of clothing.

No. Please leave your drone behind. It is illegal to fly a drone in Fox Glacier as it is within a National Park.

If you fly a drone, it will be confiscated and you will be fined $5,000. For rules on flying drones in New Zealand, please reference www.airshare.co.nz.

We have a 24 hour cancellation policy. If you would like to cancel your booking kindly notify us at least 24 hours prior to the departure time of the trip and we will arrange for a full refund and no cancellation fee will be charged.100% of the cost of the trip will be charged if we are notified of a cancellation within 24 hours the departure of the trip.

Please find more questions and answers on our FAQ Page.