What to wear on an Abashiri drift ice cruise
The deck of an icebreaker in February is one of the coldest places most travelers will stand all year. The air is below freezing, the wind comes straight off the ice, and the best moments happen outside. Dress for that, and the hour on the Aurora is a joy rather than an endurance test.
How cold it gets
In February, the heart of the drift ice weeks, daytime highs in Abashiri sit around −3 °C (27 °F) and nights fall to about −10 °C (14 °F) or lower. Those are air temperatures. On the open deck the wind adds a sharp bite, and on the ice it has nothing to slow it down. The Garinko listing for Monbetsu, up the coast, gives a range between −15 °C (5 °F) and 0 °C (32 °F), which is a fair guide for this whole shore.
The cold is dry and steady rather than wet, which helps. Snow on the ground is normal. Pavements and harbor quays are often packed ice. The weeks with the most ice are also the coldest, and the best time to see the drift ice covers how the season runs.
Layers from the skin out
Several thin layers beat one heavy coat, because you will move between a heated cabin or coach and the open deck many times in a day.
- Thermal base layer. Long-sleeved top and leggings in wool or synthetic, never cotton, which holds damp and chills you
- Warm middle layer. A fleece or a thick wool sweater, easy to open when you go inside
- Insulated jacket. A down or ski jacket that reaches below the hips, with a hood
- Windproof outer. If your jacket does not block wind, add a shell over it, since wind on deck is what makes people retreat early
- Warm trousers. Ski pants or lined trousers over the thermals, especially for standing on the ice
The H.I.S. listing asks for snow clothing and thermal clothing outright, and it is sound advice for any of the tours.
From hat to boots
A hat that covers the ears matters more than anything else on deck. Add a neck warmer or scarf you can pull over your nose, and a painful wind becomes a bearable one. For hands, wear thin gloves that work with a phone screen and carry thick overmitts to pull on between photos. Bare fingers stop working within a few minutes in that wind.
Boots are the item people most often get wrong. You need warm, waterproof boots with a sole that grips, because the walk from the coach to the gangway can be glazed ice. JUN Travel's listing asks for warm and waterproof shoes. Slip-on ice cleats that strap over your boots help on harbors and icy pavements, and thick wool socks, with a spare pair in your bag, keep your toes going through a long day.
A warm car between the cold bits
For up to six people, JUN Travel's private day (~$2,082 per group) collects you at your Abashiri hotel, so you are never waiting at a bus stop. The museums and the cruise come in an order set around the ship's departure, and lunch is on you.
Small things that make a big difference
- Hand warmers. Disposable heat packs, called kairo, are sold in every convenience store in Japan; slip one into each glove and one into a boot
- Sunglasses. Sun on white ice throws a hard glare, and on a clear day it is tiring to squint through an hour
- Motion-sickness tablets. Take one before boarding if you are prone, since open water can roll even if the ice is calm
- A spare battery. Phones and camera batteries drain fast in the cold; keep them in an inside pocket and carry a power bank
- Lip balm and a rich hand cream. The air is dry and the wind cracks skin quickly
What the listings ask you to bring
JUN Travel wants your passport and warm, waterproof shoes, plus cash for anything outside the package, such as lunch. H.I.S. asks for snow and thermal clothing as well as a passport or ID. Club Tourism's listing did not set out a packing list when we read it, so dress the same way, with extra care for the 40-minute walk on the ice in Shari. Cash matters in the countryside here; smaller restaurants and roadside shops do not always take cards.
Bring a small bag you can carry on deck rather than a bulky one. The coach tours keep main luggage in the hold. You want gloves and the spare layer with you, not under the bus. The icebreaker with kids has extra tips for dressing children.
Peeling layers off indoors
The Aurora's cabins are heated, and so are the coaches and the museums, apart from the room kept at −15 °C at the ice museum. Expect to peel off two layers each time you go indoors. A jacket that opens fully with a zip and a hat that fits in a pocket save a lot of fuss. Our guide to the view from the deck tells you which moments are worth being outside for, and the page on cancelled sailings covers what happens if the weather keeps the ship in port.
A long day trip needs more planning
A private Garinko III day from Sapporo, from ~$541 per person, lasts 11 hours with a hotel pickup before dawn and most of the day in a car. Its listing puts motion-sickness prevention on the list of things to sort out, and it sails a different ship from Monbetsu rather than the Aurora, with no reviews yet. On a day that long, pack a full change of socks and gloves and food for the road, since meals are not included. Aurora or Garinko weighs the two ships, and the Sapporo travel guide covers the journey east.