Boys hurt, girl killed in black day on ski-fields

Press, 25 August 1980, Page 1

Boys hurt, girl killed in black day on ski-fields

Three hoys were taken to the Christchurch Hospital after a “T-bar” ski lift collapsed at the Porter Heights ski-field yesterday morning.

In another ski-ing accident yesterday, a girl, aged 13, fell to her death in the Manganui ski-field area on Mount Egmont. .. At Porter Heights, the boys were injured by the lashing lift cable after a tension wheel at the top of the lift broke about 9.30 a.m., according to the manager of the field (Mr Brian, Lewis). ; They are Kerry Henderson, aged 16, who suffered a broken leg; John Lods, aged 12, who suffered suspected back injuries; and David Cartwright, aged 12, who suffered suspected neck injuries. Kerry Henderson was reported to be in a satisfactory condition last evening. The other two boys were treated and discharged. All three are . from Christchurch. \ About ■ 30 skiers had i been on the lift when a. , •‘bull wheel” collapsed, ' suddenly releasing - the ' tension on the cable, said Mr Lewis. “People have their skis on the snow on this type ■_ of lift, so nobody fell. The [ boys were injured by the i whiplash of the cable and the T-bars,” he said. “It is lucky that more ' were not injured.” Several other skiers suffered minor bruising arid abrasions, but none needed hospital treatment. Mr Lewis said that Porter Heights had good facilities to look after ariy injured skiers. The boys were treated by two doctors before ambulances arrived from Christchurch and Darfield. , Engineers had been called in to examine the . lift and determine the ’ exact cause of the accident, said Mr Lewis. j The police were also ; called to the field, and I were still making inquiries L in the afternoon.

The ski-field had stayed open after the accident, skiers using the four remaining tows at reduced rates, said Mr Lewis. He said that the T-bar lift was expected to be working again in two or three days. Mount Egmont yesterday claimed its third victim this year, when a Taumarunui girl fell more than 500 m to her death in the Manganui ski-field area. She was Nicola Catherine Hayes, aged 13, a skier, of five years experience. She had just got off the top rope tow, about 11.30 a.m., when tragedy struck. According to onlookers, for some unexplained reason she slipped backwards down the mountain underneath the tow. She slid out of control about 200 m before falling over a 10m bluff, continued sliding down the mountain for another 150 m, fell over another bluff of about 6m, and came to rest another 150 m down from there. Two policemen flew into the area in a helicopter with Dr Brian Fisher, of Stratford. However, the girl was found to be dead on their arrival. . Her body was taken out about 1 p.m. to the Stratford Hospital, A high-level rescue team was trying last evening, to find four members of the Tararua Mountain Club, who were stranded in an area known as Shark’s Tooth, near the summit of Mount Egmont. The four, aged between 20 and 30, were reported stranded there as darkness was closing in about 5.30 p.m. The four are described by the police as two experienced trampers and two novices.