When hiking on a glacier, one needs to pack somewhat differently as no one should set foot on a glacier without proper safety equipment. The necessary glacier equipment makes the backpack a bit heavier.
Please be aware that no one should ever hike alone on a glacier. When travelling over crevassed areas it is necessary to rope up and the minimum for a safe hiking is three in a rope.
Please note that the list below is not final as the equipment necessarily depends on your personal needs, length of the trip, weather and the time of the year.
Hiking Clothes
- Sturdy leather hiking boots or rigid glacier boots
- Soft hiking socks
- Underwear, wool or fleece
- Sweater, wool, fleece or softshell
- Hiking pants
In the Backpack
- Backpack cover
- Compass, map and GPS
- Food for the day and energy snack
- Water bottle.
- Thermos with warm water, cocoa, tea or coffee
- Hiking poles
- Camera and binoculars
- Sunglasses / ski goggles
- Sun protection and lip balm
- Second skin, band-aid, elastic bandage and painkillers
- Toilet paper, wipes, and small plastic bags for the used paper
- Cap, mittens and buff around the neck
- Wind- and waterproof protective clothes
- Leggings
Safety Equipment
- Harness with a locking carabiner
- Glacier crampons that fit the hiking boots
- Ice axe
- Glacier rope
- Crevasse rescue equipment
- Avalanche rescue equipment, e.g. beacon, probe and a shovel
If Mountain Skiing
- Mountain skis and poles
- Ski helmet
- Skins under the skis
- Ski crampons
