Snow landing vs alpine landing: what is the difference?
What snow, alpine and glacier landings mean on Franz Josef helicopter flights, which flights land where, how long you get outside and what to wear.
On most Franz Josef flights a snow landing and an alpine landing are the same stop: the helicopter sets down on a site high in the Southern Alps and you step out for photos, for roughly 6 to 15 minutes depending on the operator. The words only start to mean different things in the warm months, when an alpine site can be short of snow, and on INFLITE’s flights, which separate an alpine landing on a mountain site from a glacier landing made on the ice itself.
So read the season and the operator before the label. A summer booking on the 25-minute Glacier Country flight can land on rock and patchy snow, while the flights that land directly on a glacier give you better odds of snow underfoot all year. No landing of any kind is guaranteed, and every operator makes the call on the day.
Check Availability
Three landing words and who uses them
INFLITE, the operator behind the 30-minute Franz Josef and Tasman Glaciers flight, publishes definitions for its terms. On its FAQ, an alpine landing “takes place on unique mountain sites across Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park”, and those sites may have no snow in warm months. A glacier landing is made directly on the glacier and, in INFLITE’s words, “offers more guarantees of setting foot on snow year-round”. The exact site is confirmed on the day.
Glacier Country Helicopters uses both words for one landing. Its own price page describes the 25-minute Glacier Explorer as including a “10min alpine landing”, with the note “Snow levels vary seasonally”, while its FAQ says “All flights include a snow landing (weather dependent)”. On GetYourGuide the same flight is the Franz Josef Glacier Helicopter Flight & Alpine Landing, rated 4.8 from 696 GetYourGuide reviews, the most-reviewed helicopter flight with a page on this site.
Glacier Helicopters, The Helicopter Line and HeliServices say “snow landing” on their own websites, though The Helicopter Line’s Scenic Glacier Flight with Snow Landing and its Fox Glacier and Mount Cook flight on Viator use both terms in one listing.
Franz Josef Glacier Guides use a third phrase. Their Scenic Helicopter Flight & Glacier Landing lands on the Franz Josef icefall at around 1,300 meters, and a guide spends up to 15 minutes on the ice with you. That is the only short flight here where a guide joins you on the landing.
What changes in summer
The clearest seasonal warning sits on the 25-minute Glacier Country Helicopters listing. It says that “in the summer this snow landing may become an alpine landing if no snow is available”. The same listing adds that this flight “has the highest rate of cancellation as it only has one flight route & landing site”, unlike the longer flights, which have several options when the weather closes one route. The operator’s own website stops at “Snow levels vary seasonally” and publishes no rule beyond that.
Two outside facts explain why this happens. The Department of Conservation (DOC) limits aircraft landings in Westland Tai Poutini National Park to 18 approved sites, so pilots choose from a short list. DOC also says climate change is reducing snow cover and affecting some of those 18 sites. The Helicopter Line adds that the pilot picks the exact spot on the day “based on weather and glacier movement”.
On the ground, that shows up in the reviews. A few reviewers of the 25-minute flight wrote that they spent little time on snow, landed somewhere with no snow at all, or watched other companies’ helicopters land in places their own could not. One paid extra per person when the weather pushed the flight onto a different route.
If standing on snow is the point of your trip and you are visiting between December and March, you have two practical moves. Book a flight that lands on a glacier (the INFLITE Tasman flights or the Franz Josef Glacier Guides landing), or book a longer flight with more than one route option. Then ask at check-in which site the pilot expects to use. Our best time of year guide covers the rest of the seasonal picture.
Which flights land where
Each row uses the listing’s own wording for the landing. Time outside is the operator’s figure where one exists; otherwise the listing gives none. Listed duration always includes the landing.
| Flight | Operator | Departs | Landing, as the listing words it | Time outside | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glacier Helicopter Ride with Snow Landing | HeliServices | Franz Josef | Snow landing site in the Southern Alps | Not stated | 20 min |
| Glacier Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing | Glacier Helicopters | Franz Josef | Snow landing on the glacier snowfield | About 6-8 min (operator) | 20 min |
| Helicopter Flight & Alpine Landing | Glacier Country Helicopters | Franz Josef | Snow or alpine landing; alpine in summer if no snow | 10 min | 25 min |
| Fox Glacier Scenic Flight with Snow Landing | Glacier Helicopters | Fox Glacier village | Snow landing in the mountains | 8 min (itinerary) | 25 min |
| 30-min Franz Josef & Tasman Glaciers | INFLITE | Franz Josef | Alpine glacier landing on the Tasman Glacier | Not stated | 30 min |
| Twin Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers Trip | HeliServices | Franz Josef | Snow landing | 10 min | 30 min |
| Franz Josef & Fox Glaciers & Snow Landing | Glacier Helicopters | Franz Josef | Snow landing at the top of one of the glaciers | About 6-8 min (operator) | 35 min |
| 35-Minute Trip over Two Glaciers | Glacier Country Helicopters | Franz Josef | Elevated snow landing site | 10 min | 35 min |
| Fox Glacier and Mount Cook Flight | The Helicopter Line | Fox Glacier village | Snow landing on top of the glacier | About 10 min | 35 min |
| 3-Glacier Helicopter Ride with Landing | Glacier Country Helicopters | Franz Josef | Elevated snow landing site | 15 min | 45 min |
| 4-Glacier Helicopter Ride with 2 Landings | Glacier Country Helicopters | Franz Josef | Two snow landing sites | Not stated per stop | 60 min |
| Grand Circle 60 Minute Scenic Flight | INFLITE | Franz Josef | Glacier landing on the Tasman Glacier, engine shut down | Not stated | 60 min |
| Scenic Helicopter Flight & Glacier Landing | Franz Josef Glacier Guides | Franz Josef | Glacier landing on the icefall, about 1,300 m, with a guide | Up to 15 min | About 1 hour from check-in |
Glacier Country Helicopters says its landings last “around 10-15 minutes” including loading. The Grand Circle is filed under Fox Glacier on GetYourGuide but checks in at 69 Cron Street, Franz Josef. For rules and exact inclusions, see our breakdown of the 30-minute Tasman flight or our breakdown of the 25-minute flight.
The Tasman Glacier, about 23 km long and New Zealand’s longest, lies on the far side of the Main Divide in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. INFLITE’s listing describes crossing the divide at Centennial Hut to land there. INFLITE markets itself as the only West Coast operator landing on the Tasman Glacier; that is the operator’s claim. If the Tasman matters to you, our Mount Cook flights page compares the flights that cross the divide.
When the landing does not happen
Flights from Franz Josef sell a landing, but none promises one. Glacier Country Helicopters puts it plainly: “we can never 100% guarantee a landing”, and “in the event of an overflight your flight price will be adjusted”. It also sells an 18-Minute Twin Glacier Helicopter Flight with no landing at all, for days when cloud, wind or rain keep the helicopters below the landing sites. On its direct price list that overflight costs the same as the 25-minute flight, its lowest fare. If the weather stops the flight entirely, the weather and cancellations guide explains what happens to your booking.
Underfoot, and what to wear for the landing
Nothing is lent on a scenic flight. Glacier Helicopters says it does not provide any clothing to borrow or rent, and none of the operators mentions boots or overshoes for a scenic landing; those come only with a guided heli-hike. You stand on whatever the site offers: firm snow, soft snow or, on a summer alpine landing, rock.
Wear covered shoes with grip. HeliServices says sneakers or hiking boots are fine, and Glacier Country Helicopters suggests shoes you do not mind getting wet. Bring sunglasses too; INFLITE calls the snow glare very strong. Take a warm layer too: operators put the landing site anywhere from 1-3°C (INFLITE, for its Mt Cook sites) to 5-10°C (HeliServices) cooler than the village, and Glacier Country Helicopters says “a couple of degrees”. The 25-minute Glacier Country listing bars high heels and loose clothing.
The what to wear guide has the full list. If you want time on the ice with crampons and a guide, compare a landing with a heli-hike in the heli-hike vs scenic flight guide.
Choosing a flight by its landing
For a first flight where any landing will do, the 20- and 25-minute flights are the shortest way onto the snow, and the snow landing flights page compares them side by side.
For snow underfoot in summer, book a glacier landing. The INFLITE Tasman flight lands on the Tasman Glacier and is rated 4.8 from 93 GetYourGuide reviews; note INFLITE’s 116 kg passenger weight limit and that it confirms your exact flight time by email. The Franz Josef Glacier Guides landing puts you on the Franz Josef icefall with a guide, though its listing has only 3 reviews so far.
For more time outside, the 45-minute three-glacier flight lists 15 minutes on the snow and the 60-minute flight lands twice; the multi-glacier flights page compares them, and prices covers cost.
Questions about landings
What is an alpine landing?
On INFLITE’s definition, a landing on a mountain site in the Alps, which may have little or no snow in the warm months. Glacier Country Helicopters uses “alpine landing” and “snow landing” for the same 10-minute stop on its 25-minute flight.
Is a snow landing guaranteed?
No. Every operator says the landing depends on the weather and the pilot’s decision on the day, and Glacier Country Helicopters reprices a flight that becomes an overflight.
Will there be snow on the landing in summer?
Not on every site. The 25-minute Glacier Country listing warns that its summer landing may be an alpine landing if no snow is available. INFLITE says a glacier landing gives better odds of snow year-round.
Related reading:
Pick a Morning Above the Glacier
Flights run on the weather. Book early in your stay so a cancelled slot can move to the next day.
Check Availability & Book