Roped climbers fall 1000ft to death in Mount Cook Park

Press, 24 February 1977, Page 1

Roped climbers fall 1000ft to death in Mount Cook Park

PA Timaru Two Australian mountaineers plunged 300 m (1000 ft to ‘their deaths while climbing in the Mount Cook National Park earlv yesterday morning.

The two men fell when only 15m to 30m from the summit of Mount Footstool (2765 m Two companions who were sitting having a meal on the east side of the mountain heard a scream and saw the two men, still roped together, hurtle past.

“We heard them screaming as they went past us and over a snow lip. We knew they would be killed,” said a young Canadian who saw his two companions fall. Interviewed by telephone at Unwin Hut,

last night, the climber did not wish to be identified. “Myself and an Australian climber were following the two other Australians. We stopped to have something to eat while the other two went on. “We heard a scream and looked up to see them falling.” The Canadian climber said he and his companion immediately descended, but it took them one and a quarter hours to reach the two dead men. “We carried on out to arrive at the park head-

quarters at I p.m.,” he said. The Canadian said he did not actually see his two companions slip. They were on a steep slope just below the summit when they fell. The climbers would have been killed instantly, according to Mr Barrie Thomas, chief ranger at Mount Cook. He said the men were climbing on hard snow, and it was particularly steep just below the summit of Mount Foot-

When the park headquar-

ters were notified a turboprop helicopter owned by Winged Hunters, ltd, was called in from the West Coast. Flown by Mr G. Minell the helicopter arrived at 2.30 p.m., found the bodies and returned with them to park headquarters at 3 p.m.

The two bodies were recovered without difficulty. The weather was clear and there was no wind. The bodies were taken by road to Timaru.

The police have not released the names of the two climbers.