Woman plucked from Ben Lomond in darkness after smartphone tracked

A WOMAN was rescued from near the summit of Ben Lomond early yesterday after her husband tracked her location with his smartphone.

The 35yearold Taiwanese national, who lives in Christchurch, was spotted from a night visionequipped helicopter at midnight, five hours after her husband raised the alarm.

Three members of the resort’s Alpine Cliff Rescue team climbed down to her position at the top of a bluff before the helicopter plucked the party from the 1748m mountain.

Queenstown police search and rescue coordinator Senior Sergeant John Fookes said the woman’s husband, who was in Christchurch, called police about 7pm on Thursday after receiving a message from her saying she was unsure of her location and her phone’s battery was low.

After he realised he could track her phone’s location, two LandSAR teams and the helicopter were dispatched.

She was picked up from the eastern face of Ben Lomond, above a 5m bluff, about 1am.

She was flown to Lakes

District Hospital and later discharged.

Sen Sgt Fookes said police had yet to speak to her but it appeared she had left the walking track and somehow gone about 100m down a steep snow chute.

She was lightly clad and ‘‘lucky’’ to escape without injury or worse.

‘‘She got herself bluffed in very steep and hazardous terrain.’’

At a time of year when many people got back into outdoor recreation, the incident was a timely reminder they should not underestimate the high country around Queenstown.

‘‘Just because it’s accessible doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous.’’

People needed to be properly equipped, and tell someone where they were going and when they were due back.