Rescue confusion in fatal avalanche
The rescue of a climber who survived an avalanche that killed her two guides may have been delayed after rescuers were initially told the team was OK.
Jo Morgan was climbing Mt Hicks, near Mt Cook, in October 2018 when a ‘‘terrifying wall of ice’’ struck her climbing party of three. Experienced guides Martin Hess and Wolfgang Maier were killed.
Morgan, who was roped to the guides, was partially buried by the avalanche but her face was left exposed allowing her to breathe.
Yesterday, Morgan told a Women of Influence event in Christchurch that she had to dig herself out from what was a relatively ‘‘skinny’’ avalanche and set off her personal locator beacon.
She told the Christchurch audience that as soon as she was able to stand up, her cellphone rang. It was the rescue service responding to her beacon alert.
She explained she was OK but her climbing guides were not and needed rescuing.
However, using another device, she had also sent a prerecorded message to her husband, economist and entrepreneur Gareth Morgan, to say she was OK.
This prompted him to call police to say her party was safe, initially leading to the rescue being called off.
It has previously been reported that it took Morgan 30 minutes to set off her locator beacon, and that rescuers arrived about two hours after the avalanche struck.
Morgan told yesterday’s breakfast event at the Town Hall that this confusion contributed to her spending hours alone on the mountain before rescuers arrived at 7.30am.
An avalanche dog was able to help dig the guides’ bodies out in minutes but it was too late to save Hess and Maier. The guides, both in their 50s, were New Zealand residents originally from Germany.
Inspector Dave Gaskin, who was involved in the 2018 rescue, said he was unaware of any confusion or delay in the rescue effort. ‘‘As far as I know the rescue team worked speedily and got there as soon as the alarm was raised.’’
He said a coronial investigation into the deaths of Maier and Hess was still being conducted and any details would be made available in the coroner’s findings.
In February, Morgan joined Maier’s partner, Tracey Bell, and six others to climb Turners Peak in the Mt Cook National Park with Maier’s ashes. Maier had guided Morgan on 22 of the 24 New Zealand peaks higher than 3000 metres.
In December, Morgan plans to climb the final two, Mt Hicks and Torres peak.