Alpine avalanche risk ‘dire’

Climbing conditions at Aoraki/ Mt Cook are forecast to be ‘‘dire’’ over the coming week with climbers being warned to take extreme care after two avalanches within a week put two climbers in hospital.

A climber injured in an avalanche on the mountain on Sunday was in a stable condition in Christchurch Hospital yesterday after being airlifted off the mountain.

On Tuesday, an experienced skiing guide, who was part of a group of five, was flown to hospital after being dragged 200 metres in an avalanche near the Gammack Range on the eastern side of the mountain.

MetService meteorologist Paul Ngamanu said he wouldn’t recommend climbing at all in the area over the coming days.

‘‘Conditions will be pretty dire over the next couple of days. It’s an unsettled week. We have a brief break in the weather on Wednesday, and then the rest of the week is not pleasant at all, with several fronts waiting in the wings, ’’ Ngamanu said.

‘‘I wouldn’t recommend climbing at all over the next period,’’ he said.

Federated Mountain Clubs president Jan Finlayson has also issued a warning to climbers to take care and be flexible following last week’s events.

‘‘It is very tempting when you have such beautiful blue weather to head out into the mountains, but you have to take care of the conditions,’’ Finlayson said.

‘‘Be prepared for any change in weather, and take note of the avalanche risks.

‘‘If you’re unsure, wait it out. The hill will still be there the next day, and there are always other options to take.

‘‘Be skilled and keep checking. Any time you get a major snow loading, it can change the snow pack conditions. Sometimes the change in conditions can happen really fast.’’

Finlayson referred climbers to check out the Safety in the Mountains book, which is available free online.

‘‘It’s a really good resource for climbers and trampers,’’ she said.

The Avalanche Advisory New Zealand website lists Aoraki/ Mount Cook as having a ‘‘considerable risk’’ of avalanche in high alpine areas and ‘‘moderate risk’’ in medium alpine areas.

It advises that ‘‘careful snow pack evaluation, cautious routefinding and conservative decision-making’’ were all essential in high alpine areas. In medium alpine areas, it warned that there were heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features, and urged climbers to ‘‘evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern’’.

‘‘It is very tempting when you have such beautiful blue weather to head out into the mountains, but you have to take care of the conditions.’’

Jan Finlayson, Federated Mountain Clubs president