Starting this ski tour you have two options to get up to the Franz Joesph Glacier. First you could hike up but from what I hear it is a brutal slog which will take two days or you can do what everyone else does and just use a helicopter. Arranging getting a flight is easy as there are numerous operations that would be happy to take your money in exchange for a stunning flight with numerous bags filled with whatever type of food you can think of but make sure to bring a game or two as it is normal to be stormed in for many days. Once arriving at the hut make sure to catch the afternoon forecast via the radio and if you are so fortunate to get a sunny and windless day this ski tour is well worth putting on your bucket list.

Leaving from the Centennial Hut drop down to the Chamberlin Snowfield and start heading East. Keep skinning on the relatively flat terrain and make your way west when you are getting closer to Lindon Ridge. By now you will see an open face which arrives at the high point between De La Beche and the Minarets. Before long the you will reach the base of the mountain which starts off mellow but ramps up quite a bit steeper near the top. Make sure to transition to crampons before the slope gets too steep and make your way up. While climbing you will have to go over a crevasse which is halfway up the slopes but you should easily find a snow bridge to get onto the upper slopes. From here on just keep pushing towards the high saddle with the Tasman sea to your back.

Once on the high saddle it is time to climb the final mellow slopes towards the summit of the Minarets. This is a nice and relatively flat plateau with world class views in every direction. Looking to the North the slopes drop off towards the West Coast, to the West is the Tasman Sea and a great vantage point of the greater Franz Joesph Glacier region while to the East is the Tasman Glacier area of Mount Cook National Park.

Once you’ve had enough of the views just make your way back down your climbing route onto he glacier before skinning back over to the Centennial Hut.

For more pictures and the full story check out this link https://www.whereiskylemiller.com/new-zealand/franz-joesph-glacier/