Tramper dies after avalanche

Atramper has died after an avalanche was triggered on Mount Cook around 1.30pm yesterday.

One of three trampers died in the incident, a second person had minor injuries and the third person was uninjured. The person who suffered minor injuries was transported to Twizel for medical treatment.

A New Zealand Mountain Safety Council (MSC) spokesman told the Herald it was too soon to understand how the avalanche was triggered but there was a moderate forecast risk.

“There was a moderate forecast at the time for that region, which is the second-lowest rating and just above low,” the spokesman said. “What that means is natural avalanches are unlikely, human-triggered avalanches are possible, usually small avalanches in specific areas or large avalanches in isolated areas. Just because it’s a moderate danger doesn’t mean there’s no danger — that’s one of the things to really get across to people.”

Metservice reported the weather at Mt Cook yesterday was fine spells, with a chance of a shower or two with light winds and a high of 18C. The MSC spokesman said there was a risk for loose wet avalanches at the time above 12,000-metres.

“There’s various types of snowpack conditions, so loose and wet is as it sounds,” he said. “It’s quite a slushy, icy mixture, that condition can mean that sort of avalanche can run a lot further than a typical slab avalanche which is nicely bound together.”

The latest tragedy comes after two mountain guides were killed last month in an avalanche on Mt Hicks that also buried adventurer and philanthropist Jo Morgan. Morgan was lucky to escape with her life. Her climbing partners Martin Hess and Wolfgang Maier were not so lucky. She was roped to the two guides when the avalanche hit, but she was unable to find them after being sent tumbling up to 200m down the mountain. “None of us had any control over it.”

Morgan was rescued after setting off a personal locator beacon.