Two rescues after thrillseekers crash
EMERGENCY services responded to two separate incidents involving adrenaline sports enthusiasts in the Queenstown Lakes District within three hours yesterday.
In the first incident, a woman skier/paraglider was seriously injured after crashing near the Cardrona Alpine Resort. She was believed to have been ‘‘speed riding’’ at the time, a combination of skiing and flying down the mountain.
Constable Greg Nolet, of Wanaka, said he understood the woman touched down on the snow a couple of times before crashing, about 4km up the skifield road.
A personal locator beacon was set off after the crash and St John were notified about 12.20pm.
Resort manager Bridget Legnavsky said the skifield’s doctor and paramedics attended the crash.
The injured woman was described as a ‘‘qualified recreational pilot’’.
Speed riding is a hybrid sport involving small paragliders and skiing and participants can reach speeds of more than 140kmh.
Then at 3.25pm, emergency services were called to a ‘‘parachute accident’’ near Jack’s Point, south of Queenstown, after a 29yearold man on a solo, recreational flight, crashlanded about 50m from N-Zone’s buildings.
Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Mike Richards said the man’s ‘‘chute slider’’ fell over his face and he could not see to land.
‘‘He hit the ground hard and cartwheeled for around 5m.
‘‘Remarkably, he has no fractures and is talking.’’
The man was transported by ambulance to Lakes District Hospital with moderate injuries.
In a statement, N-Zone said the man sustained ‘‘possible injuries’’ as he came in to land at the landing zone. — Additional reporting Tracey Roxburgh