Guides saved Morgan
Two mountain guides who died after they were buried in an avalanche saved adventurer Jo Morgan’s life last year after she fell into a crevasse.
Guides Wolfgang Maier, 58, and Martin Hess, 50, were killed on Wednesday morning when an avalanche struck their climbing party on Mt Hicks, near Aoraki/Mt Cook. Buried under snow, Morgan struggled for 30 minutes to set off her locator beacon, spent another 45 minutes digging her way free, and survived.
Stuff can reveal that Maier, who guided Morgan on 22 of the 24 New Zealand peaks higher than 3000m, saved her life in a climbing incident last year, alongside Hess.
New Zealand Mountain Guides Association president Jane Morris said Hess told her the trio were climbing La Perouse, near Mt Hicks, at the time of the accident.
‘‘Wolfgang was out front breaking trail in similar conditions to what they would have [this week], and the crevasses are not as obvious when it’s just snow.
‘‘Where she stepped wasn’t exactly in Wolfgang’s track . . . and there was some slack in the rope, so she went further than just punching your leg through.’’
Maier and Hess, using a standard crevasse rescue technique, were able to help Morgan out, Morris said.
Morgan told Stuff yesterday that he incident was ‘‘quite edgy’’.
‘‘Just walking along in a lovely beautiful flat area with the snow howling around us, and suddenly the earth opens underneath you.’’
Maier and Hess were both ‘‘experienced, capable guides, working in terrain that was well within their skill levels’’, Morris said.
Rescuers arrived at the scene of Wednesday’s accident at 7.30am. Using an avalanche dog, they had the men’s bodies out in minutes, but the pair could not be revived.
Hess and Maier, both in their 50s, were New Zealand residents originally from Germany.
Morgan – an adventurer, writer, Unicef goodwill ambassador and philanthropist – is the wife of economist Gareth Morgan and mother of Trade Me creator Sam Morgan. She was on her second-to-last climb of the 3000m peak challenge – a mission to climb all 24 New Zealand peaks higher than 3000m. Maier had guided her up 22 of them.