I quite understand and agree with your commentary. I have experienced your awe of glaciers around the world. I remember how impressed I was seeing the Franz Josef glacier for the first time pre covid. I recently went back to almost a ghost town post covid. I was so disappointed that the lovely vibrant town had all but disappeared. Only one place open for breakfast (the kiwi experience) , most restaurants shut for lack of staff, and shops rarely open. Such a shame!😩😭
I hiked there in 2004. Incredible ice caves at the base, waterfalls, streams, and chutes leading halfway into the valley. This change is unreal. I am very happy to have experienced it when it was still readily accessible by foot.
Wow! I saw Franz Joseph Glacier in 2010. On the same year I was lucky enough to see other glaciers in Peru and Argentina. I will probably never go and see the first 2 ones again, once was enough to feel devastated. Perito Moreno though is one of the very few exceptions, if not the only one now (and for how long?), who maintains a state of equilibrium. I was even more lucky that I could admire the beauty of it without mourning the losses. Thank you Wojtek for remembering me what I felt there. Thank you for sharing what you felt and feel about it, what people who have seen it feel... It's so important that people who may never see those glaciers could also feel the same just by watching your documentary. And think. And do their part to slow down this process. Great job!
thank you for that kind and thoughtful comment, Rémy! Visiting and in a sense becoming part of experiencing a glacier itself, really seems to leave a distinct emotional imprint upon us. Also, incredibly interesting to hear about Perito Moreno (!) I will educate myself a bit about it :)
Sad to see. When I visited the Mer de Glace Glacier in France recently, there was a valley descent where it marked the glacier's level in '1952', '1990' and so on, it was amazing to see how much it had receded even in the last ten years. Great documentary.
Thanks, man! I think it is important to keep in mind that earth also has put humankind through a lot. It's not so much an intended war against nature we are running, as a struggle for balance in a world we do not fully understand.
Saw FJ Glacier in 2016. We could still walk the valley floor to see the terminal face head on. It was majestic, the first glacier i'd ever seen, but you could see how much it had retreated. It's sad seeing it today - very obviously smaller than it was just 6 years ago. Thank you for making this film to bring awareness to the plight of glaciers world wide.
thank you for watching! I think, there is an interesting dynamic in the glaciers receding, while we keep following them. Not sure though, wether we are chasing or following the giants of ice up the hill.
Captivating. Loved every moment of this, and the edit was fantastic (the intro in particular). The little touches don't go unnoticed, great job Wojtek!
What a wonderful documentary. So sad to see how much FranzJosef has receded since my first visit to NZ. Indeed, I now feel so fortunate to have seen it when I did and have many photos to remind of it as it was
2006 I Photograph Fox Glacier it was a wall of ice with a hole at bottom with river of water coming from within, the river was wide fast flowing to the sea. 1996 I took a rafting trip from the parking lot to the sea. Now it's retreated, I can't tell from the video, but maybe a mile. 1984 no road, you had to walk from the highway. PS no tourist well maybe two guys on bicycle's but I don't like to be called a tourist.
I remember climbing on the Franz Josef glacier in 2013 and it was amazing being able to walk on the ice and going through ice tunnels. It's heartbreaking seeing that it's gone now other than the last remnants.
I imagine it being an incredible and humbling experience at the same time. It feels really different, when you got to visit and in a sense "to know" one of those slowly vanishing places, doesn't it?
Have you tried to hike up to Fox Glacier terminus? I walked up to Chancellor Hut (Feb 2023) then onto Chancellor Dome then back down to Fox Glacier town. On the way back down I saw a huge car size bolder falling down Passchendaele to the terminus (Suicide Alley) heading towards me. It missed me by 5 meters and the glacier debris on impact sprayed all over me. Be bloomin f****** careful in that area, but i guess some people like the risky adventure, so there will always be people trying it. The hike route there is challenging and adventurous, but man, the glacier is way more wild and monstrous than the Tasman glacier! You can still get onto the glacier via the Goatpath off Roberts point track via Baird Range (I did this in Feb 2023 too), however that is falling apart and highly unrecommended!
thank you for adding your experience - this sounds adventures and terrifying! seems like the warnings and recommendations around the glacier are not only tourist guide lines
Did the pandemic induced hiatus have any effect on the extent of either the Franz Joseph or the Fox glacier? The answer can provide some directions for future tourism prospects of these incredibly beautiful attractions.
there is kind of a problem of how far and for how long this has been going on. speaking in environmental terms, there seems to be no way or prediction that points to the glaciers advancing again (significantly), on the other hand tourism activities are an integral part of the local economy and of peoples livelihoods, which have suffered over the last years (significantly). Tourism may return eventually, the glaciers - as it looks right now - won't.
I guess, we'd still have the problem of people flying in via plane from all around the world 😕 since this is a multi layered problem, I reckon the solution (if any) may be multi layered aswell
