Police received a report of a climber falling an estimated 200 metres down a cliff face and into a crevasse on Mount Aspiring at about 6.15pm last night.
Sergeant Darren Cranfield from Wānaka Police said the climber’s companion was faced with an extremely challenging situation.
“After the fall, the companion spent more than three hours climbing in difficult alpine terrain to find enough satellite reception on a mobile phone to raise the alarm. During that time, they too were becoming increasingly at risk of hypothermia.”
A search and rescue operation was immediately initiated, with the Otago Lakes Search and Rescue and Heli Otago tasked with locating and rescuing both climbers. The weather was closing in and the chances of a successful rescue was diminishing rapidly.
“This was a complex and dynamic operation where two lives were at risk,” Sergeant Cranfield says.
“Given the remote alpine environment, success depended on strong communication, effective collaboration between teams, cross-district coordination and clear decision-making throughout the rescue effort.”
At about 1am, both climbers were successfully rescued by Heli Otago, with assistance from the Wakatipu LandSAR Alpine Cliff Rescue Team.
“We are incredibly pleased with this outcome and grateful that we brought both climbers to safety,” Sergeant Cranfield says.
Police would like to thank everyone involved in the rescue, including search and rescue personnel, alpine rescue specialists, Heli Otago Rescue and all those who contributed to the operation.
“The professionalism, skill and commitment shown by everyone involved played a critical role in bringing this incident to a successful conclusion.”
Sergeant Cranfield says the incident is a timely reminder of the risks that can be encountered in alpine environments.
“Conditions in the mountains can change rapidly, and even experienced climbers can find themselves in dangerous situations.”
“We encourage anyone heading into alpine areas to thoroughly prepare, carry appropriate communication equipment and emergency supplies, and ensure they have a plan in place should the unexpected occur.”
“Being prepared for the worst can make all the difference when things go wrong.”
