Man rescued after fall on glacier

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34131, 19 April 1976, Page 1

Man rescued after fall on glacier

(From Our Own Reporter/ TIMARU, April 18. Only the hands of a man were visible before he was rescued from a schrund on the Douglas Glacier above Welcome Pass in the Westland National Park today.

The man, whose name has not yet been released by the police, is believed to have suffered a broken arm, chest and head injuries, and exposure.

He was taken by Mount Cook Ambulance Service to Twizel and examined by Dr A. A. Bell, who reported that his condition was reasonably satisfactory. The injured man was later admitted to Timaru Hospital. The Chief Ranger at Mount Cook National Park headquarters (Mr B. W. Thomas) said that a call was received from Welcome Flat hut in the Copland Valley at 4 p.m. from Mr Peter Fullerton, a Westland National Park ranger, advising that a climber had reported an accident on Welcome Pass at 1.30 p.m. A helicopter of Winged Hunters, Ltd, on the West Coast flew to the Mount Cook National Park headquarters and picked up a party of three national park headquarters staff led by Mr J. Mo.ore. The helicopter, which was airborne at 5 p.m., landed at Welcome Pass, where the injured man had been taken out of the schrund — a horizontal crevasse — into which he had fallen, by two companions. Mr Thomas said the party was belaying on a snow ledge

when it collapsed, and the man fell into the schrund. A climbing companion was hurt when an ice axe pierced his right aim. He slid on the snow when the helicopter was approaching the other injured person. He was taken to Twizel for treatment.