Supplies flown to stranded climbers

Press, 14 January 1982, Page 1

Supplies flown to stranded climbers

From

LES BLOXHAM

at Harihari

Food and warm clothing were being taken last evening to four young Wellington climbers who have been marooned for 14 days in the Southern Alps after a severe snowstorm.

The two men and two women are believed to be in a weak condition and suffering from frostbite. Two members of the party raised the alarm at Harihari early yesterday afternoon after a two-day tramp for help.

The party is stranded near the Lambert Col, about 1840 metres (6000 ft above sea level, near the head of Westland’s Wanganui River.

The six climbers, all in their early 20s, set out from Harihari on December 29 for what was intended to be an 11-day traverse of the snowfields on the western side of the Main Divide between the Wanganui and the Whataroa rivers.

Mr Matt Johnston, who raised the alarm at Harihari with his companion, who wished to remain unnamed, said that the weather began to deteriorate on their first night out. However, they carried on but the weather worsened.

“We were trapped by an atrocious snowstorm that lasted five days,” said Mr Johnston. “All six of us were huddled in the same tent until it collapsed on the third day under the sheer weight of about a metre and a half of snow," he said.

The party hurriedly dug themselves out and wrapped themselves in a spare.

unused tent in a bid to keep warm. However, they lost their sleeping bags and some of their food in the tent which was buried by the snow.

The party was forced to stretch what little food they had to see them through the next nine days.

Asked how they passed the time, Mr Johnston said, “Trying to keep warm and trying to keep alive."

Mr Johnston and his companion decided to tramp out to Harihari for help when it became apparent that other members of the party were too weak to make their own w’ay out. The snowstorm lasted for five days, but generally bad weather which followed it had continued to pin the group down. After Mr Johnston and his friend reached Harihari yesterday, several attempts were made to reach the stranded climbers by helicopter but these were unsuccessful because of low cloud.

Eventually a two-man rescue party including a doctor, w’as ferried to a position about an hour's climb from the group. They were carrying emergency rations and warm clothing and were expected to reach the site before dark.

The climbers are expected to be brought out to Harihari this morning.