Tracks likely to stay open after death
The Routeburn Track and others in the area are unlikely to be closed over winter despite the death of Czech tramper Ondrej Petr.
Petr died after he and partner Pavlina Pizova slipped down a bank on the Fiordland track in wintry conditions on July 28.
Pizova survived a harrowing, month-long ordeal in a warden’s hut near Lake MacKenzie following three freezing nights in the snow.
She was rescued by police and a Land Search and Rescue team on Wednesday.
Department of Conservation Wakatipu operations manager Geoff Owen said closing tracks probably wouldn’t happen but it might be discussed in an operational review of the incident.
‘‘We’re in that sort of hard place because there will always be those that say we should do that [close the track].
‘‘Even in light of what’s happened, we probably wouldn’t. We don’t have a policy on actually closing tracks.’’
It was about tramper responsibility and in Pizova and Petr’s case, ’’their first decision wasn’t a good one’’, Owen said.
The couple ventured onto the Routeburn track despite DOC advising them against it because of forecast snow.
The pair also did not leave their intentions with anyone and did not carry a locator beacon.
Pizova struggled for three days through waist-deep snow and poor visibility to reach the hut.
Her feet were swollen and her fingers were frostbitten because of the cold.
‘‘[The incident] could well be something I put on an agenda just to think about,’’ Owen said.
‘‘We just look at it from the point of view, ‘is there anything different we could be doing?’’
Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club vice-president Antony Pettinger said the club tramped into the Routeburn at least once a year during winter and would not support a winter closure.
They would normally not do the entire track because of the weather, he said.
‘‘The club would be definitely against it. It’s public access across public land.’’
Pettinger said it was about people using good judgment when tramping in winter.
‘‘We would encourage people to check the conditions and take notice of what they have been told.’’
Ultimate Hikes general manager Noel Saxon, whose company operates guided walks on the track, said they did not operate through the winter months because of lower demand from people and a ‘‘higher amount of risk’’.
‘‘It would be quite problematic to try and operate during that time. We just wouldn’t be able to do it.’’
Saxon said it was DOC’s responsibility to decide whether tracks should remain open and it would not have much of an effect on Ultimate Hikes tracks were to close over winter.
Pizova is recovering at the Glenorchy home of Vladka Kennett, consul for the Czech Republic.
Pizova wanted to donate money to Land SAR and DOC to say thank you.