Two climbers die in Southern Alps

Press, 30 January 1982, Page 1

Two climbers die in Southern Alps

Timaru reporter

The bodies of two climbers — a man and a woman — were recovered by helicopter from Mount Hicks, northwest of Mount Cook, yesterday afternoon. They were Noel Sissons, aged 31, of Laura Avenue, Brooklyn, Wellington, and Mary Atkinson, aged 30, of Wellington.

Both climbers were believed to have died of exposure.

The senior ranger at Mount Cook National Park Headquarters (Mr C. S. Irwin) said the bodies, still roped together, were recovered by helicopter at an altitude of 2900 m at 2.45 p.m. after a three-hour search. The climbers had been abseiling at the time.

“As far as we can tell.

they did not fall. There was no indication of such,” said Mr Irwin.

Mount Hicks (3183 m a peak common to both Westland and Mount Cook National Parks, is a fairly difficult rock climb with several. variations on its west and north-west faces. Mr Irwin said that the two had been on an area known as the Curtain route above Harper Saddle, which is east of La Perouse. “We were concerned because they had not been on the radio schedule for two nights,” said Mr Irwin. The impression had been that the two climbers had proposed climbing Mount Hicks. A search party was assembled and a Squirrel helicopter flown by Mr Ron Small, of Lake Tekapo, went direct to the Empress Hut

area where the two bodies were found. Mr Hicks said it was assumed that the two climbers started their ascent on the Monday. “The weather closed in late that day with strong north-westerly winds and rain. That lasted through Tuesday and it began to ease up on Wednesday.” The recovery was difficult because the helicopter could not touch down and a new technique was used whereby a rescuer, Mr Don Bogie, a park assistant, was suspended on a 13m strop. Yesterday’s deaths bring the total number of climbers killed in the national park to 135. The last fatal accident in the park occurred on January 5 last year when three Japanese climbers died.